


The Sceptre and the Stone

by zubeneschamali



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: M/M, Magic, prince!Jensen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-20 12:45:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 30,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19376971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zubeneschamali/pseuds/zubeneschamali
Summary: Jared has been making a living as a smuggler while his city and country have been under occupation by the Iron Lord. It's dangerous work, but it keeps his mind off the way things used to be, and how unlikely it is that they can ever go back. Unlikely, that is, until he gets a package to the one man who could change the world—if they don't both get caught first.Prince Jensen has been in hiding for five years, the last of the rightful rulers of his kingdom. The plans he's been painstakingly making for recovering the throne and restoring magic to his people are brought to a head when an uncommonly skilled smuggler delivers him what he most needs. As he puts his plan into motion, though, he's going to have to figure out how to deal with said smuggler—including the way he makes Jensen want things that have nothing to do with regaining his kingdom.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I originally started this as an spn_j2_xmas exchange fic and then realized it was going to get way too long. Boy, was I right about that. Many thanks to the folks who helped me with writing sprints all through the spring and summer. Biggest thanks go to morganoconner for coming out of retirement to beta for me. I'll take you to a baseball game as repayment. ;)
> 
> After many years in fandom together, I finally got to work with quickreaver! Her amazing art is [forthcoming].

It's not the first time Jared has had to run from the Iron Guard, though he's starting to fear that it might be the last.

It's his city—he grew up in it and has lived all of his twenty-seven years here. Even if the invaders have been occupying Golina for the past five years, they don't know its streets and alleyways as well as he does. He's had to dodge their patrols dozens of times while smuggling goods from outside the city walls. He's never had any problem getting away. It's not like he's part of the Skalnye or anything, he's just trying to earn a living in an occupied city.

Now, though, he might have run out of luck.

He'd been walking casually through the market, like always, pretending to examine a few different vegetable carts before making his way to the front steps of the blue Church of the Mother. His contact was there as usual, but he warned Jared off with a scratch of his nose. Before he could get more than a step away, there were two Guardsmen pushing through the crowd towards them, and both Jared and his contact instantly fled.

It was usually just a matter of rounding a few corners and making a few unexpected turns. Some of the Guardsmen had only been here a few months, none more than a year, given how they were regularly rotated in and out of Golina. Even those who took the time to learn something about their new station were never as skilled as the people who had grown up here. And Jared had always been able to use that to his advantage. But his pursuers weren't usually so damned persistent. 

Now, Jared careens around a corner and dodges a startled woman, narrowly avoiding knocking her parcels from her arms. She shrieks behind him as he tears down the cobbled street, the shouts and threats of the two Guardsmen following close behind. If he can just get to the tanners' quarter, he's sure he can lose them in the maze of foul-smelling pits that dot the area. The raw stench of curing hides and the poisonous materials used to tan them surely aren't worth putting up with just to get a hold of the contents of Jared's purse. 

Two more quick turns, lungs heaving, and he's almost there. The sharp odor is starting to hit his nostrils, and he grimaces but keeps on. He should be able to dodge them any minute now—

Something heavy slams into Jared from the side, and his arm scrapes on a stucco wall as he goes tumbling down into a narrow alley. There's a dank puddle on the ground that he does his best to avoid, given that it hasn't rained in months, and he manages to roll over one shoulder and scramble to his feet, looking around wildly.

There's a red-haired woman not that much shorter than him already on her feet, grabbing his arm and hustling him down the alley. "Hurry," she urges, and since she's wearing a sand-colored tunic and leggings, not the dark grey of the Iron Guard, Jared figures it's probably in his best interest to follow her.

The sound of running footsteps passes behind them on the street and then fades away. The woman turns sharply into an even narrower passageway, and Jared scrambles to follow her. His shoulders are nearly touching the walls as they twist and wind, the pitted stone walls of buildings rising high overhead on both sides. 

Jared realizes that maybe he doesn't know every nook and cranny of his city after all, because he has no idea where they are. He tries to picture it in relation to the tanners, thinks about the space between their district and the main square. Anywhere with streets this narrow would have to be in the oldest part of Golina, but then they'd have to be just off of the main square, and there's no way— 

The redhead yanks on his arm again, and they're ducking under low-hanging laundry towards what looks like a brick wall. Jared actually gets his hand up in self-defense before he realizes there's a short archway. They slip through it into a dark, high-walled courtyard and then come to an abrupt halt. The woman holds up her hand, gesturing for Jared to be silent.

Jared pants for breath as quietly as he can. She's watching the archway they passed through, or maybe the street outside, and he follows her gaze. After a few minutes, she nods to herself and seems to relax.

Jared straightens up at that cue and looks around. There's a derelict fountain in the center of the small courtyard. Surrounding it are four stories of crumbling white brick. Despite the darkness and shade, all of the windows have their wooden shutters drawn. He feels a shiver go down his spine, whether from the sweat on his back that's starting to cool or the isolated feeling of this place, he's not sure. 

He gives the purse tucked into his waistband a pat to reassure himself it's still there. It's not the bag he usually carries, so the size and weight is different from what he's used to. This was given to him along with the object inside, although he hasn't opened it to see what it is.

"Stay here," the woman orders. 

Jared nods, still trying to catch his breath. He watches her cross the courtyard and go through another archway on the far side. There's the creak of a door, and then silence.

It occurs to him that he could just turn around and head out again. He's trusting that this woman is with the people he's supposed to deliver his purse to, but he doesn't know for sure. Still, she helped him get away from the Guard, so at least they're on the same side, broadly speaking.

It stays quiet except for the usual sounds of the city from outside of the courtyard and the buildings that surround it: the creak of carts, the murmur of voices, the occasional cry of a rooster. Jared lifts his head and sniffs. There's the faint odor of the tanners, so they must not have gone too far from where he'd eluded the Guardsmen. 

He smells cooking meat closer at hand, and his stomach gives a small rumble. Looking around, he sees light smoke wafting into the air from a chimney next to the courtyard. At least one of these buildings is occupied, then.

Suddenly, there's the sound of footsteps behind Jared. He whirls around, hands up to defend himself. When he sees it's his contact from the church, stepping through the short archway through which he himself had come, Jared straightens up. "Hello," he says cautiously.

The man gives him a short nod. He's slender with dark hair and tanned white skin. He's breathing as hard as Jared was a moment ago, and he only raises a hand in response.

Before Jared can ask if he's sure he got away, too, or if Jared should just hand over the purse, he hears a sharp, "Matt!" from across the courtyard. It's the woman, standing in the archway through which she'd disappeared. "You, too," she adds, gesturing at Jared. "Come on."

They follow her through an open door into a dark, cool hallway and up a flight of stairs. The blue-and-white tiles lining the stairway are chipped in places and look like they could really use a good cleaning. Jared recognizes the royal crest on a couple of the tiles, and he wonders how it's managed to survive here when it was purged from everywhere else in the city.

At the top, she leads them down a hallway and past several closed doors until they reach another, smaller stairway. "Go on up," she says to them. "He's waiting for you."

"Who?" Jared asks.

The other man, Matt, is already heading up the stairs. "You coming?" he throws over his shoulder.

Jared frowns. "This isn't how it usually goes," he says to the redhead. "I give you what I got from my source outside the wall and—"

"We know how it usually goes," she snaps back. "Usually, the Iron Guard doesn't come within a hair's-breadth of capturing our people." She gives him a shove. "Go."

Seeing no alternative, Jared climbs the stairway, wincing at a loud creak on the third stair. He emerges into an attic room, just tall enough for him to stand upright at the center, the roof sharply sloping down almost to the floor. Light is streaming in from over his shoulder, enough to see Matt talking to a man with light brown hair facing away from Jared. He's in a plain brown tunic that goes down to his knees, bare-legged below that with rough sandals on his feet like those of a monk. 

Jared comes to a stop a few feet away and clears his throat.

When the man turns around, Jared's jaw drops. _Not exactly a monk,_ his inner voice says. Then he's hurriedly dropping to one knee, heart suddenly pounding. "Your Majesty," he says quickly, his thoughts racing. He'd already figured it had to be the Skalnye who had rescued him, but this was something else entirely. 

Prince Jensen Ackles impatiently gestures for him to rise. "Don't call me that," he snaps. "Not here, not anywhere."

"S-sorry, I just—" Jared stands up as quickly as he knelt down. "It's good to see you, Your—sir. I mean, good to see that you're alive. And here. In the city."

The prince sighs. "You were bringing me something when the Guard spotted you. What was it?"

"I don't know. I didn't even know it was intended for you." Jared fumbles at his waist for a moment before he can unclasp the purse from his belt and hold it out. "Here." 

Prince Ackles takes it without a word and opens it. He peers inside and then closes his eyes with an indrawn breath. "By the Mother," he swears before opening his eyes and fixing Jared with a sharp gaze. "You never looked inside?"

Jared shakes his head. "I'm not paid for that," he says. "I'm paid to take things from outside the walls and bring them to the people who want them inside the walls. It's safer not to know what I'm carrying."

"So you _do_ have some brains," the prince murmurs. "What's your name?"

"Hey!" Jared retorts before he remembers that he's speaking to the heir to the throne—or more accurately, the rightful ruler, given that the king and queen were killed in the invasion five years ago. Rumors have flown ever since about where their only child had fled to, and Jared is both relieved and nervous to know that he's right here in Golina.

Prince Jensen holds up a hand, briefly pressing his lips together. "Sorry," he says. "Not just for being rude, but for what I'm about to tell you."

Jared crosses his arms over his chest. He's not sure, but he thinks the prince's gaze might have flickered down to his forearms before meeting his again. "My name's Jared. And sorry for what?"

But the prince turns to the other man in the room. "Matt, you're sure they didn't see you?" he asks tightly.

"Positive," Matt replies. "They had their eyes on Jared here, and they went right for him. No one stayed on me. I don't know how they made him, but it wasn't through me."

"All right, good. Tell Danneel to move on to another smuggler. This one's burned."

Jared frowns. "What?"

Matt is already moving past him, heading for the stairs. "Sorry," he throws over his shoulder.

Jared turns back to the prince. "What's going on?"

Gesturing at the plain wooden bench along one wall, the prince says, "You might want to have a seat." 

Jared remains standing.

"Fine." Prince Ackles puts his hands on his hips. "We don't know how, but the Iron Guard figured you out as a smuggler. Danneel was watching, and she was able to get you away and get this to us." He shook the leather purse in one hand. "This is incredibly valuable, and it's something I've been waiting to put to good use for a long time. But until I can make that happen, I'm afraid you're going to have to stay here."

"Until you can make what happen?"

The corner of the prince's full mouth quirks up. "I can't tell you that right now."

Jared spreads his arms wide. "I can't stay here. I have other clients, I have a home, I have—"

"You have none of that right now," the prince replies. "If you go back outside, they will find you. They will question you, and you will tell them that you saw me and that you brought me something of value, and then all of our hopes and prayers will be for nothing." 

Stung, Jared draws his head back. "I would never betray you like that, Your Majesty."

"You wouldn't have a choice." The prince's voice is low and intense. "Not with how they ask their questions."

Jared swallows hard at the grim expression on the prince's face. He's strong, he knows that, but Ackles is talking about interrogation and torture. And he's heard stories about the Iron Guard—probably promulgated by the Guard themselves, to keep people afraid. It used to be that he could have protected himself from those kinds of threats, but not anymore. "How long?" he asks.

"Now that we have this?" The prince hefts the purse. "It could be only a month or two."

"A month? I can't stay here for a—" Jared breaks off as he realizes what the prince is implying. "Wait. What is in that purse?" The prince hesitates, and Jared takes a step forward. "You said I'm stuck here. There's no one for me to tell. If that's costing me my freedom, shouldn't I get to know what it is? And how you're going to use it to reclaim the throne?"

Prince Jensen grimaces. "More brains than I thought," he says to himself. Then, louder, "Fine." He opens the purse and pulls out a flat, round, light grey stone, holding it on his palm. He looks up at Jared, one eyebrow raised.

Jared puts a hand to his chest, barely holding back a gasp. "Mother of God. That's—where did you _get_ that?"

"You would know that better than I would," the prince replies, a shade of amusement in his voice. Then he seems to take in Jared's astonishment, and his fist closes around the stone. "You know what this is."

It's almost an accusation, and Jared chooses his words carefully. "It's why the resistance fighters named themselves the Skalnye. The Stones. To build the foundation for taking back the kingdom, but also because one of the Cloud Stones can restore our magic."

"So it can," Prince Jensen says. His gaze suddenly grows more piercing, green eyes boring into Jared's. "And when you say 'our magic,' you mean…"

"Ours as in the kingdom's," Jared says quickly. "Those who used to be able to practice it before Pellegrino took it away."

The prince's eyebrows shoot up. "I thought he was very clear that his title was to be used, not his name."

"It's a stupid title," Jared mutters.

There's a ghost of a smile on the prince's face before he holds out his fist, palm side down. "Hold out your hand."

Jared presses his lips together, heart sinking, and doesn't move.

"Hold out your hand, Jared."

It's the command of a prince—of a king, really—but Jared doesn't obey. "I can't," he says softly, his heart sinking as he speaks.

Prince Jensen looks at him a moment longer before lowering his hand to his side. "Now I understand why you've been so successful as a smuggler. Even if you can't practice your magic, you still have some small gifts, don't you? People are less likely to notice you if you don't want them to. Certain kinds of objects will find their way to you with less effort than might be expected."

"Hardly successful," Jared snorts. "I almost got caught today."

"You've been doing this for what, four years?" When Jared nods, he goes on, "No one else we've worked with has lasted more than one."

A chill shoots down Jared's spine. The fear of discovery he's had to carry all these years is still with him, even if the man who has just found out his secret is no threat to him. "So what happened today?"

"I'm not the mage here."

"Neither am I," Jared snaps. "I didn't even get halfway through my training before the invasion, and I certainly haven't been able to learn anything since then."

The prince gives him a short nod that looks like half acknowledgment, half apology. Then he says, "Let me tell you what I think. I would guess that the Cloud Stone recognized you, or your power. Thank the Mother you never looked in the purse or were tempted to touch it. The captive mage they have in the castle would have recognized the signature of your magic, suppressed though it is, and they would have been on you in an instant."

"But I didn't touch it. I didn't even know it was there." Jared is pretty sure he knows what happened, but he needs to know how much the prince understands about how magic works—or at least how it used to work.

"Just having it close to you would have made you more visible even if you were trying not to be. At least, that's what I would expect. The stones and the mages are linked, right? They amplify your power?"

"When we had power," Jared retorts. He backs up a step and fumbles for the banister at the top of the stairs. " But it still means I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be anywhere near you or that stone."

"It's okay, we've got protection." The prince opens the lower drawer of the rough wooden desk he's standing next to. Inside is a box, plain wood on the outside. The inside is a dark grey, dull metal that Jared recognizes instantly. Ackles drops the round stone into the lead-lined box and puts it back in the drawer. "We'll have it out of here soon anyway. In the meantime, while it's shielded, we're perfectly safe."

"And I have to be here," Jared replies. "Or at least, hidden away somewhere. That's what you said."

Ackles frowns. "I'm sorry, but yes, you do."

"So why did you bring me up here?" Jared asks. The prince doesn't seem to mind him being straightforward, so he's going to take advantage of it. "If you knew it was a risk for me to see that you were alive and in the city?"

"I knew what you were carrying, or at least I hoped that was it. I had to understand how you've been able to remain hidden all these years, what was so special about you, and the Cloud Stone helped me confirm it."

Something cold coils in the base of Jared's stomach. "You needed to see if you could use me. For whatever it is that you're planning."

Ackles might be incredibly good-looking, but he's also royalty, and the calm look of command on his face is a clear reminder of that. "If you want to put it that way."

"I can't do magic for you," Jared retorts. "No one can."

"Not right now, no. But once we restore the Stone to the Sceptre and free the kingdom's magic, you'll be able to."

"And then what?" Jared throws his hands out from his sides. "You think I can raise my hand and cleanse this kingdom of the invaders? It's going to take a lot more than magic to do that."

"You think I don't know that?" Ackles takes a step towards him, eyes going cold and hard as malachite. "My family ruled these lands for generations. We know what magic can and cannot do, maybe better than you if you're only half-trained. I've been working for the past three years to come up with a plan to take these lands back. So yes, I'm going to take advantage of whatever resources I can find to make that happen. I would hope you'd feel the same."

"Happy to be of service," Jared replies, not entirely succeeding at keeping the sarcasm out of his voice.

The prince huffs out a breath. "If it hadn't taken me so long to find a mage, it might not have been three years."

"It's been longer than that since I've seen another one," Jared snaps back. "For all I know, I'm the only one left. Even half-trained."

Ackles' eyes widen as he draws his head back. "That can't be."

"It sure as hell can be." This time it's Jared who moves closer, part of him enjoying the way he can loom over the prince by a couple of inches. "That was the first thing he did to consolidate his power, you know. It wasn't enough to take away our magic, tear it out of the Sceptre and send the Stones far away from the kingdom. He hunted us down, too. Not all at once, but person by person. I didn't realize it at first—most of us didn't. By then it was too late."

The prince's face has gone white, his freckles standing out starkly. "I had no idea. I was—I left the palace before the final battle with a few of my father's most trusted advisors. At his insistence, we fled the country. I thought it was just going to be for a little while until our army fought them off. But then…" He trailed off and shook his head. "Then hiding became the most important thing, and then finding a way to fight back. I didn't realize the extent of what happened to the mages. I'm sorry."

Jared gives a sharp nod. "But you understand now, right? Even if you get the Stone back to the Sceptre, and magic is restored—" He spreads his hands out from his sides. "I might be all that you've got."

"There must be more," the prince says. "You've stayed hidden. Others must have done the same, or fled like I did."

"I hope so," Jared says quietly. It's pained him many times over the years, wondering if he's the only one left. His family, the friends he went to school with, the teachers and mentors who trained him…as far as he knows, they're all gone, either in battle or picked off one by one by the Iron Guard. Maybe the prince is right, and others have managed to escape. But it can't be more than a handful. Not nearly enough to restore the full power of the magistry.

Silence falls for a moment. Eventually, the prince clears his throat. "Let me show you what we have up here. Since I'm afraid you'll be sharing my quarters for a while."

Grateful for the change of subject, Jared asks, "What is this place, anyway? Why is it so empty?"

"It was a dormitory for the military school," Ackles replies. "When the invaders took over, they closed the school down. After a few years, it was clear they weren't using it for anything, and so the Skalnye started meeting here. It's not as empty as you might think, but it's supposed to look that way from the outside."

"How many people know what's in here?"

"The members of the Skalnye." 

Jared would press for more details, except he can see from the hard set of the prince's eyes that he wouldn't respond. Which is reasonable enough. Instead, he gestures to the room around them. "Must get hot up here in the summer."

"You have no idea." The prince gives him a weak smile. "I'm really hoping I won't have to go through that again."

That means something is supposed to happen within the next two months or so. Then it occurs to Jared that he's going to be trapped here that entire time, and that the prince has already been here for at least a year. "How often do you go outside?"

"Into the courtyard every few days. Down to the lower floors where there are windows onto the main street, rarely. Outside, never."

Jared raises his eyebrows. "Never?"

"You recognized me in an instant. Most people would if they saw me, I think. It's not a risk I can take."

Jared rocks back on his heels at the prince's calm, matter-of-fact tone. "I can't—how do you not go absolutely nuts?"

"I run up and down the stairs for exercise, or down some of the longer hallways once Danneel has swept the building. I work on our plans and keep in touch with the people I trust. I remind myself of what it's all for."

"You're as much of a prisoner here as if they caught you," Jared muses, then is horrified at himself for saying it out loud.

"I wouldn't be kept as a prisoner if they caught me," Ackles replies grimly, one eyebrow raised.

Jared shudders. "No, I suppose not."

"Anyway." The prince sighs. "We're in the main room, where I spend most of my time." He gestures at the bench against one wall, set forward a little ways into the room so the slanted roof allows enough headroom to sit, and then the desk on the opposite side. "The bed is in the room behind me. Behind it is a hidden staircase. You should practice going down it; it's pretty narrow and steep, and if we had to use it, we would need to move fast." Jared nods, and he goes on, "There's a kitchen on the first floor, but we can't use it too often in case someone notices the smoke from what's supposed to be an empty building. So usually someone brings up my meals." He eyes Jared up and down, and Jared feels his cheeks flush. "Looks like they'll have to start bringing up a lot more food."

 

The rest of the prince's introduction goes quickly, and then there's not much to do. Ackles goes downstairs with the box containing the Stone, cautioning Jared to stay upstairs. A few minutes later, he hears voices but can't make out the conversation, even standing at the top of the stairway and straining his ears. It might not be polite, but he hasn't survived this long in an occupied city without taking advantage of every opportunity he can. Even if it means taking advantage of the prince.

_The king_ , Jared reminds himself again. Maybe not technically, since there was no one to administer the coronation after the king fell at the hands of the invaders. But he'd hoped all these years that somehow Prince Jensen had survived. There had been plenty of rumors to that effect—along with stories that he had been swiftly put to death by the Iron Guard to quell any possible rebellion. It does Jared's heart good to know that he's alive and well.

And apparently he's planning something. Despite Jared's delight at the prince's well-being, he can't quite bring himself to hope that Ackles can somehow reclaim the throne. The Iron Lord is too well-entrenched, his Guard too powerful. Of course, with the help of magic, a good deal of that power could be eliminated. If Prince Jensen's forces had magic to command…

And that, Jared can't let himself even think about. It's been a hole inside of him this whole time, the desire to do magic but knowing that nothing will happen if he tries. He's whispered the words of simple spells when he's been alone, trying any number of times to make something, anything happen. He's even tried outside the city walls in case that made a difference. But without the Cloud Stones, there's nothing. And with their oceanside kingdom surrounded by Ferrendia, the Iron Lord's home, there's nowhere farther to go that would be any better.

Or at least, there hasn't been anything to make a difference. Now he's seen one of the Stones, and the prince has plans for it, and there's only one thing that he could be planning. If the Stone could be returned to the Sceptre, if Jared could feel magic pulsing through him once again—

He doesn't know what. He's had fantasies of striding through the palace, brushing aside the Guard like flies, making the Iron Lord and all of his followers disappear and restoring Prince Ackles to his throne. But magic doesn't work like that, and he knows it. And the prince knows it, too. So what does he want from Jared?

It's almost dark by the time the prince returns. Jared has found a lamp, but nothing to light it with, and so he's sitting in the near dark. When Ackles lights the lamp with a flint from his pocket, he gives a start at seeing Jared sitting on the bench. "Stars, I forgot you were there."

"Sorry." Jared holds up his hands. "I didn't know how to light it."

"Sorry to leave you up here." Ackles drops onto the bench next to him. It creaks under their combined weight. "Not used to having anyone here."

"Sorry to be taking up your space."

"Well, it's my fault you're here, so I can't really complain." The prince shoots him a sideways grin, the corners of his eyes crinkling.

Jared automatically smiles back, unable to help being charmed. He'd known the prince was good-looking, not just from seeing him from afar but from the stories about his legendary beauty and grace. To have him so close is doing strange things to Jared's insides. 

Mentally, he shakes his head and brings himself back to the present. "Were you able to pass along what I gave you?"

The grin fades. "It's on its way somewhere else, yes."

"Good." Jared leans back, stretching out his legs in front of him. "I hope it can help."

"Me too," the prince says softly. 

They fall silent. Jared wants to ask him so much: what is he planning, how soon will it happen, what can Jared do to help? But the times he's asked any kind of specific question, he's been shut down so quickly that he knows there's no point. And it makes sense—there's no reason for the prince to trust someone he's just met, not with something so delicate. 

Finally, he clears his throat. "You said something earlier about food?"

"Danneel's seeing what she can do." The prince eyes him more closely. "Might be a little tricky, though. It can be hard to smuggle food in here."

"Are there people living around the courtyard?"

Ackles shakes his head. "The building is empty except for us, and there are lots of friendly eyes nearby as well. We still don't want to fall into any kind of a pattern, though."

"Makes sense. I never took the same route outside the city more than two times in a row. Best not to be noticed."

"Exactly." Jensen reaches into the pocket of his shift and pulls out a hunk of cheese and some bread. "In the meantime, there's this."

"Thank you." Jared accepts the food and tries to nibble on it rather than cramming it into his mouth all at once. He hasn't eaten since last night, and even the coarse bread and pungent cheese are welcome.

Jensen clears his throat. "I don't like to keep the lamp burning for long. The light might be visible from outside."

"No, of course. I'm used to sleeping once it gets dark, anyway. I usually need to make the most of the daylight hours."

"There's only the one pallet, I'm afraid. I can ask Danneel to bring up materials for another one eventually, but not until we're certain no one has noticed a new arrival in this building."

"It's okay, I'm used to sleeping on the floor." At the prince's quizzical look, Jared goes on, "I have to move around a lot to keep from being found. Sometimes it's not always the most comfortable quarters."

"Ah, I see." The prince gives him a small smile. "I'm sorry that you've been subjected to that."

Jared shrugs one shoulder. "It was by choice. I mean, I didn't have to take up smuggling as a way to earn a living, you know."

Ackles tilts his head to the side as if to say, _Fair enough_. Aloud, he says, "I don't mind sharing. It's not luxurious, but it's bound to be more comfortable than the floor."

Jared ducks his head. "If you're certain, Your—I mean, if you're certain."

The prince lets out a sigh. "I told you not to call me that."

"I know, and I apologize." Jared gestures at him. "It's just—that's who you are. Maybe not officially but it's who you are to me."

"For now, I'm just Jensen." Ackles gives him another brief, almost shy, smile. "If you don't mind."

"Whatever you say, Your—Jensen." Jared returns the smile, and he's pleased to see Jensen's grin grow wider.

The pallet is probably large enough for two grown men if neither of them moves around too much. Jared knows that he tends to sprawl in his sleep, but he sternly tells himself to lie still. The straw beneath the sheet rustles as the prince lies down beside him, and Jared rolls onto his side to face away. The floor is only a few inches away, so at least if he rolls off of the pallet, it won't hurt. 

"Good night," Jensen says in a low voice before snuffing out the lamp. 

"Night," Jared replies, closing his eyes.

He's worried that he won't be able to sleep after the tumult of the day, from the chase through the streets of Golina, to the shock of discovering Prince Jensen was alive and well, to now sharing a bed with him. Jared firmly tells himself to not think about that last one in particular. It's going to be complicated enough sharing this small space for who knows how long.

Despite the events of the day, Jared's asleep before he knows it. 

He wakes in the middle of the night, too warm. Not entirely aware of his surroundings, he simply sheds his shirt and lies back down. The straw of the pallet pokes him through the thin cloth sheet, but he's still exhausted and falls back asleep with little difficulty.

When he next awakes, he's on his back, head turned to face the middle of the pallet. His legs are sprawled out, arms as well, and he blinks for a moment as he tries to come to. He doesn't recognize the room, but there had been someone else here last night, if he could only remember—

"Good morning."

Jared sits up abruptly, memory flooding back to him. "Good morning, uh, Jensen."

"Sleep well?" Jensen is eating another hunk of bread, this with something slathered over it. He tosses a piece at Jared, and Jared grabs it. 

There's a creamy cheese on the top, and he gobbles it up before it registers that Jensen has asked him a question. "Um, fine, I guess. You?"

"It was a little warmer than usual." Jensen nods at him. "Apparently for you, too."

Jared looks down at his bare chest. "Yeah. Upper story room, you know. And I tend to be warmer than most people."

"Hmm." Jensen seems to stare at him for a moment before going on, "And then there's the matter of you not keeping to your side of the bed."

Jared feels his face growing warm. "I'm sorry. I know I move around a lot when I sleep, especially when I'm really tired. I can sleep on the floor, it's honestly fine. You need your rest, and if—"

"It's fine." A flicker of something unreadable flashes across Jensen's face. "It's just been a long time since I had someone else in my bed."

Jared blinks. "Oh."

Jensen seems to finally hear the words he's just said. "That is, not that you were in my bed. I mean, you _were_ , but not in that way. I don't wish to imply anything inappropriate, Jared."

He looks so flustered that Jared finds it easy to push aside his slight dismay and say, "It's all right, I understand. Someone like me would never be in your bed like that, anyway."

Jensen tilts his head to the side. "Why do you say that?"

Pointing to himself and then Jensen, Jared says, "Smuggler. Prince. I'm not exactly in your league."

"I don't know about that." Jensen eyes him again, gaze trailing down his chest. "You seem to be in a pretty fine league."

Before Jared can respond, there are two sharp knocks from the other room. Jensen instantly turns around and heads towards the stairway. 

Jared stares after him. Was the prince _flirting_ with him?

 

Jensen's gone for a long time, long enough that Jared starts to get hungry again. He's poked around every corner of the two attic rooms, inventorying the few items in the desk drawers and squinting out of the windows to take in the small amount of the outside world that he can see. There's no spare food hidden anywhere, and he wonders if he can ask Jensen for some small stores to be kept up here if he's not going to be able to leave these rooms.

He doesn't find the secret door that Jensen mentioned, which oddly enough reassures him. If it's difficult for him to find when he knows it exists, then presumably any unfriendly forces wouldn't be able to find it, either. He tries to remember the words of a finding spell, then shakes his head at himself. Even if he knew the words and the gesture that went with them, there's no way it would work. He's missed having his magic so many times over the past five years, and there are still times when it catches him by surprise that it's gone.

Jared can't imagine how Jensen has kept himself occupied up here all of these months. There are no books, no blank paper or pen, nothing to do. He could try to sleep more, but it's already pretty warm in the middle of the day.

It suddenly occurs to him that he could meditate. It's a habit he's tried to keep up since the invasion, at first to keep his magic ready, and later to calm himself after the access to his magic was cut off. Since then, even if he's lost hope of regaining his magic, it still soothes him to participate in the ritual. It's been a few weeks, but given the tumult that yesterday was, it's probably a good idea.

Jared looks around with a small sigh. He would prefer something softer than the wooden planks of the floor on which to sit, but the straw pallet they slept on might be too soft. Still, it's the lesser of two evils, and so he sinks down onto it cross-legged, settling in with a soft rustle before closing his eyes.

Concentrating on his breath, Jared is soon able to let go of the physical sensation of sitting on the straw. That probably means he could have gone with the floor instead…no, no, that's a distraction. Breathe. Concentrate on the breath.

It takes a while, given the way his mind keeps wanting to churn over the events of the last day. He can hear Jensen's voice from the other room, but only his voice. Maybe he's talking to himself? Maybe there's someone else in the room who isn't speaking? Maybe he's talking through his plans?

Jared's patient with himself as he encounters these distractions, nudging himself out of awareness of the outer world and back to his inner self. Soon, it's not the rhythm of his breaths that he's following, but the rhythm of his heartbeat. It's that still, deep place that took him forever to achieve in lessons but which is so vital for carrying out magic. 

It still gives Jared a pang to think that he's not seeking out the quiet space in his mind in order to do magic, but he lets that thought in for a moment before gently pushing it out again. The hope that Jensen will be able to restore the Sceptre quickly follows, and he pushes that from his mind as well. There's no room for such thoughts here, at least not at the moment. The still place is enough for him.

There's a loud creak and a voice says, "Jared, can you—what are you doing?"

Jared's eyes fly open as he lurches back into the world. It's disorienting, but he soon recognizes Jensen standing in the doorway, frowning at him. "Oh. I'm—I'm meditating."

"What?" The prince frowns. "Why are you doing that?"

Jared feels his face grow warm. "It's a practice that's part of being a mage. I've held onto it because—I don't know. It helps me."

Jensen's frown deepens. "Helps you do what?"

Jared's only response is to sit up straighter. "Did you need my help with something?"

The prince pauses, eying Jared for another moment before he nods. "You said you know the city well. Matt and Danneel are out and about in it a lot, of course, but I have a few questions about what the streets are like. You might be able to help, given your experience at evading the Guard."

"Anything." Jared scrambles to his feet, remembering the low ceiling just in time and keeping his head down. "What do you need to know?"

In the other room, Jensen has a map of the city spread out. "I need to know where the Iron Guard tends to cluster. Where are their usual patrols? What streets do they tend to avoid?"

Jared purses his lips. "They move around a lot. Every time I think I've discovered a regular pattern, they change it. I can tell you a few things I've learned, but I can't guarantee they will still be accurate."

"What you knew as of yesterday is good enough for now. We can have Matt verify it if need be."

"All right." Jared studies the map for a moment. "The Avenue, obviously. There's always one or two of them visible, keeping an eye on people. The main plaza, but I'm sure you know that."

"They do drills there, yes," Jensen replied tersely.

"They're usually at the university, too, according to my contacts. Or at least what's left of it." Jared shakes his head. "Ever since they closed the magistry buildings, I haven't gone back."

"That's where you were training?" Jensen asks.

It's Jared's turn to give a brusque response. "Yes."

Apparently the prince can hear the tightness in Jared's voice, because he goes on, "What about places where they tend not to go?"

"The market in front of the Church of the Mother is usually safe." Jared stops himself and rolls his eyes. " _Was_ usually safe, until yesterday. I would say the river below the palace is usually unpatrolled as well. They probably figure it's close enough to the palace that no one would be causing any trouble there." He flashes a small smile at Jensen. "Made it a good spot to meet my contact."

"Below the palace." Jensen frowns. "Where the water gardens are?"

Jared winces. "Where they used to be. They were cleared in the name of security."

Jensen's expression tightens, but he doesn't say anything. 

Jared wonders suddenly what it must be like to hear about all of the changes that have happened to his city without being able to see any of it. "You really never go outside? Even at night?"

"It's too much of a risk. Especially now, when we're—" Jensen cuts himself off. "When we're making progress on our plans."

Jared smiles politely. "I understand that it's a risk, but don't you want to see what the city is like now? It might help you with your plans."

"All it would take is one person realizing who I am, and everything would be over." Jensen fixes him with a hard stare. "And it's not just me that I'm talking about. It's all of the Skalnye, everyone who's been working with me these past five years. Even people like you, Jared, who've just been doing what you can to get by."

Jensen's words sting a little, but they're also true. "I'm sorry I never did more," Jared replies. "I was afraid of being discovered. If I'd realized that my magic was still helping to protect me, even if I couldn't actively use it, I could have done more."

"No, you did the right thing. I hope to our Mother that you aren't the only mage left, but you're one of very few, at any rate. Which means you understand why I have to stay in here." Jensen gestures at the attic around them. 

"Yeah, I understand," Jared says with a sigh. He gestures at the map. "What else can I tell you?"

They bend over the table, Jared indicating the places that he's learned to avoid because the Iron Guard tends to congregate there. By the time Danneel comes up with their lunch, he's helped Jensen to sketch out some possible routes by which someone might approach the city and get within a few streets of the palace walls. Jensen hasn't said that's what he's looking for, of course, and he's looked sharply at Jared a few times when he's said something that suggests he knows it. But Jared keeps his expression blank, concentrating on the map, and Jensen doesn't say anything.

He does ask Jared to go back to the bedroom once he's done eating. Without knowing how long he's going to be in there, Jared sets himself to the task of meditating again. It's easier this time, and he soon finds himself in that half-aware, calm state that he's familiar with from his mage training. 

This time, when Jensen opens the door, he doesn't say anything. Jared still notices the disturbance, and when he opens his eyes, Jensen is calmly waiting for him. He gives Jensen a quick smile. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Just wanted to let you know that it was safe to come out."

"Thank you." Jared pauses, noticing the frown on Jensen's face. "Is everything okay?"

Jensen sighs. "There's so many things that have to go perfectly for us to even have a chance at this working, and I can't control any of them. And backup plans can only go so far, and then that's even more I have to worry about." He gives Jared a wan smile. "It's a lot to keep straight at one time."

"Have you—have you ever tried meditating?"

That gets him a sharp look. "I'm not a mage."

"It's not only for mages. I mean, yeah, it's something we used to help center ourselves and concentrate, but everyone needs to do that from time to time. I could teach you a little if you were interested."

With a frown, Jensen says, "I'm not sure I'd be any good at it."

"It's not something to be good or bad at. It just might help you with your full brain." Jared tries a small smile and is thrilled when Jensen returns it. 

"Well, what do I do?" Jensen tilts his head to one side and then the other like he's preparing for a fight.

"Right now?"

"Why not?"

"Um, okay." Jared gestures at the pallet beside him. "It's best to sit down on a soft surface, but not too soft. Enough so that you won't be uncomfortable, but not so soft that you sink into it."

"All right." Jensen glances at how Jared's legs are folded in front of him and gracefully sinks down into the same position. "Now what?"

"Close your eyes," Jared orders. A funny little chill goes over him when Jensen instantly obeys. "Rest your hands on your knees, palms up." He watches as Jensen does as he's told, then takes in a long, slow breath to center himself before closing his own eyes. "Now breathe in and concentrate on how your chest expands. Breathe out and feel how your chest moves back towards your spine."

He hears Jensen takes an exaggerated, deep breath, and a smile curls his lips. "You don't need to breathe deeply," he says. "Just like you regularly would."

There's a small huff, and then Jensen's breathing settles into a more regular rhythm. Jared smiles to himself and starts to focus on his own mediation, feeling the familiar calm settle over him as he reaches for that quiet place inside.

The sound of a throat clearing interrupts him. "Uh, what next?"

Jared's eyes fly open. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what's next? There has to be more to it than that."

"There is, but you have to start with the basics. Just focus on your breath. If you find your mind wandering away, bring it back to your breath. Don't get angry at yourself if some of those thoughts in your head pop up. Just acknowledge them and let them go."

"What do you mean, acknowledge them?" Jensen's eyes are still closed, but his forehead is scrunched up. 

"It's hard to explain." Jared tries to remember what their instructor taught them so many years ago when he was just starting his mage training. "I guess, don't try to ignore them. Tell yourself to save it for later, and go back to your breath."

"All right," Jensen grumbles. He sighs before visibly taking slower, deeper breaths, and Jared closes his eyes again.

Jared's not counting breaths—that isn't generally helpful—but he can't have gotten more than three or four in when Jensen is speaking again. "I can't."

"Yes, you can," Jared says soothingly. "Just try."

"I am trying." When Jared opens his eyes, he sees Jensen rubbing a hand over his face. "There's just too much going on. I appreciate you trying, I really do, but there's too much I have to focus on right now."

Jared pauses for a moment, trying to decide whether or not to push it. Finally, he says, "I understand. It's not something you can just do the first time, though. You should try again later."

"How long did it take you?" Jensen asks.

Jared lets out a snort. "Months before I lasted as long as you just did."

Jensen's eyebrows shoot up. "Really?"

"I don't know if you noticed last night, but I have a hard time keeping still."

"Really," Jensen replied in a sarcastic drawl.

Jared can feel his cheeks getting pink, but he goes on, "It took weeks of practice before I could sit still as long as you already have, much less focus on my breath. So that's definitely something."

Jensen doesn't immediately reply, but he looks a little more pleased, a small smile barely curving the corners of his lips.

Jared immediately decides that as long as he's going to be stuck in here, he might as well try and make Jensen smile like that as much as he can.


	2. Chapter 2

It's a noble goal, but Jared realizes after a few weeks that it's somewhat doomed. 

Jensen wasn't kidding about the complexity of his plans. Although he asks Jared to stay in the bedroom more often than not when he's having conversations with Matt or Danneel, Jared still overhears enough snippets to know that there is a massive plan underway. He reminds Jensen more than once that he's willing to help as needed, but all he ever gets is a polite smile.

At night, Jensen always falls asleep before Jared. Not surprising, since Jared's bored out of his mind and spends more time meditating and napping than he's done in years. He's even taken to doing exercises since he can't get out and walk or run, some basic calisthenics that get his blood pumping and hopefully keep his muscles strong and tire him out. But more often than not, Jared's stuck listening to Jensen's breathing slow down and even out, jealous of his ability to sleep so easily despite the burdens that must be weighing on him.

The room they sleep in is windowless, but sometimes the door to the main room is open. Jared learns that when the moon is nearly full, it sends a shaft of pale light through the doorway and over Jensen's features. If Jared hasn't fallen asleep yet, he watches the way the moonlight catches the prince's long lashes, providing enough of a soft glow to see his eyes twitch in his sleep. He wonders what Jensen dreams about—the kingdom that's been lost to him? The hardships he's endured in the meantime? His hopes for the future?

He never asks in the morning, because that would mean letting Jensen know that he watches him sometimes while he's sleeping, and that would be too strange. Besides, it seems like every other morning Jared has managed to throw an arm or a leg or both over the prince in his sleep, and the awkwardness of extricating himself is enough that he doesn't want to make it worse.

It's not until Danneel mentions in passing that she and Matt won't be able to go out into the city for a few days because of Carnival that Jared gets an idea. He waits until she's gone before suggesting it to Jensen.

"Absolutely not." Jensen shakes his head.

"It's Carnival, Jensen. Everyone will be wearing masks. It's perfect!"

Jensen shakes his head. "The Guard can ask anyone to remove their mask at any time. Danneel told me after she went out last year. She slipped away before they could ask her, but I can't take that risk."

"I know we can't go to the main square, or watch the parade down the Avenue. But you've been locked up in here for months. Don't you want to see what the city is like? What your people are like?"

"More than anything," Jensen says, almost under his breath. He's looking at the stairwell, as he often does when they're talking about the outside world, and that's what gives Jared the urge to push. 

"Then let's go. Just for a short walk, ten minutes or something. You need to get outside, Jensen. It's a good reminder of what you're fighting for."

Jensen looks at him for a long minute. Finally he says, "Ten minutes. I can't risk more than that."

"That's all."

Jensen sighs. "I'll ask Danneel to get us a couple of masks."

When he does, she nearly explodes at him. "We have taken so many precautions over the past year, Jensen. We have tied ourselves in knots to make sure everyone thinks this building is unoccupied. And now you want to go strolling out there where anyone can see you?"

"No, I don't," Jensen says drily. "Thus, the masks."

She whirls on Jared. "You might think this is a good idea, or that it's good for him. But if anyone sees him, even a friendly face…they'll talk, and it will get back to _him_ , and he'll know that Jensen is in Golina. We can't risk that."

Jared holds up his hands placatingly. "I know that you're getting close to whatever it is you're planning to do. I know that you don't want to blow it now, and if you both agree this is too risky, then I'll let it go. But yes, I think it would be good for him. You're out there all the time in the streets, Danneel, like I was. You know what it's like, what our people are like. Jensen hasn't seen that in years. He's here in Golina, but he might as well be hundreds of miles away."

"I suppose you think it's a good chance to do reconnaissance or something like that," she retorts.

"It's Carnival. Everything will be different. This is just to go out and be reminded of what our city is like, what our people are like. I know you've been so careful with keeping this place secret, but we can be careful, too."

"He did manage to survive for four years without getting caught," Jensen says. "Despite his size, he's apparently good at sneaking around."

Jared bites back the comment he wants to make about Jensen appreciating his size and says only, "I promise I will keep him safe, Danneel."

"Oh, I know you will, because I'll be right there with you."

"You don't have to do that, Dani," Jensen says.

"The fuck I don't. Someone has to keep an eye on you two."

So the following night, the three of them slip out through the courtyard one at a time, reconvening at the nearest corner. Jared's exhilarated to be outside again, even if the air isn't the freshest in this part of the city. He breathes in deeply anyway, almost enjoying the tang and burn of it.

Jensen sniffs and looks at him sideways. Jared can just make out the skeptical look in his eyes beneath his feathered purple mask, since the rest of his face is hidden. "Don't tell me you've missed that stench."

"Not as such." Jared adjusts his own mask, a somewhat ratty-looking hawk's face complete with beak. It isn't the nicest thing he's ever worn to Carnival, but since Danneel's expression had practically dared him to say something when she handed it to him, he's keeping quiet.

Danneel herself is in the lead, in a red cape and matching mask that covers only her eyes. Jared saw her strap a double set of knives to her belt, but they're now hidden under the cape. "Keep quiet, you two, and stick close."

Jared doubts they're identifiable by voice alone, but he's not going to argue. He's still surprised she and Jensen agreed to this, and so he follows her silently down the narrow street.

They turn onto a slightly broader lane, this one wide enough for two people to walk side by side. There's music echoing down the streets, and Jared's grinning at the sound of it. He always loved Carnival, how people let themselves go for the night just enough to take a break, but not so far that they become obnoxious. It's just what he's hoping for Jensen: to achieve a little bit of a release, enough to remind him of what his city is like and how much it needs to be restored.

But Carnival isn't what it used to be. 

"Kind of quiet out here," Jensen murmurs to him when they come to a main street. There are a handful of people walking around in masks, but the music is coming from still farther off. "Guess the main celebrations are somewhere else."

"That's part of it," Danneel agrees. "It's also just quieter and less popular than it used to be. People know they aren't free, and that carries over to Carnival. Even if _he_ didn't ban the parts of the celebration that don't have to do with magic, people are less enthusiastic every year."

"You didn't tell me that," Jensen says sharply.

"I thought Jared wanted you to see what the city is like these days," she replies. 

Jared narrows his eyes at her, but she's scanning up and down the street. "Time to turn back," she finally says.

"We just got outside," Jared replies.

"We said ten minutes out," Jensen says. "I don't think it's been that long."

"This is a major enough street that the Guard will be patrolling it," Danneel says. "Better to watch from a distance than risk them noticing us."

So they stand on the street corner, in front of a boarded-up shop window, watching people trickle past. They're still decked out in costumes, and from what Jared can see, they're heading toward the main Plaza where the parade will be held later that night. But even though he knows this is a busy neighborhood, there aren't that many people outside.

He puts a hand on Jensen's shoulder. "We should go back."

Jensen turns to him, and he can see that same longing in Jensen's eyes as when he was looking towards the stairwell. He wants to see more, wants to remind himself of what his city is like.

But he's also a prince with a price on his head, and a very smart man. So he turns and starts down the lane the way they came, Danneel and Jared following behind.

They take their time going back through the courtyard, one at a time, each watching to make sure they're alone in the alley before doing so. Danneel's the last to go, and she makes them pause at the bottom of the stairwell before signaling for them to go up. 

At the top, Jensen takes off his mask and tosses it onto the desk. "Not sure that accomplished what you wanted it to," he says.

Jared lets out a sigh and takes off his own mask. "It wasn't what I expected, that's for sure. I guess most years I've been right in the middle of it on the Avenue, so even though I knew it was quieter than before, it was still lively enough."

"It wasn't just the lack of people on the streets, though. It was the empty shops that looked like they've been closed for a long time. The buildings that aren't being kept up. We never used to have stray dogs wandering around, or people sleeping in shop doorways. I thought that even with the occupation, people were able to earn a living."

"Some of them are," Jared says. He points to himself. "If you're willing to bend the rules. Or if you're lucky. A lot of people left Golina after the invasion, you know. They figured the Guard wouldn't be keeping as close an eye on the countryside."

"That was a mistake." At Jared's quizzical look, Jensen goes on, "One of the reasons I came back to the city was because it was getting harder to avoid patrols in the villages. I couldn't ask people to stay quiet on my behalf, knowing what would happen to them if they were found to be sheltering me. So we had to keep hidden on our own, and that meant moving around a lot." He gives a wan smile. "We pretty much ran out of places to hide."

"But you also came back to start something, right? To take back the kingdom?"

Jensen's expression goes shuttered. "Maybe."

Jared rolls his eyes. "Damn it, if you don't know you can trust me by now—"

"It's not a matter of trust." Jensen takes a step closer, looking into Jared's eyes. "I know you wouldn't willingly do anything to betray me. I've known that since you first came here, not just because you said it, but because you didn't even know you were carrying the Cloud Stone. But there's still a lot that has to play out, and as secure as this location has been, we can't guarantee it's going to remain that way. And if you fell into their hands…" He trails off and shakes his head.

"I understand," Jared says quietly. "I'm glad you trust me, though."

Jensen gives a solemn nod. "Besides, if you wished me any ill, tonight would have been the perfect opportunity to get the Guard's attention."

"Pretty sure Danneel would have gutted me on the spot if it looked like I was trying anything like that."

The corner of Jensen's mouth curves up. "She is great, isn't she?"

Jared huffs out a breath. "Yeah, she is."

Jensen looks up at him from under his lashes. "She's my closest friend in the world. My _friend_."

Jared waits for a moment, wondering if Jensen is going to say anything more. He's pretty sure he's reading the signals correctly, but this is the _prince_ , and if anything goes wrong between them, he does not relish the thought of telling Danneel she's going to have to find a separate hiding place for him. "Just your friend," he says slowly, wanting to make sure he gets it right.

Jensen takes another step forward, close enough to touch. "If and when I take the throne," he says quietly, gaze briefly flickering to Jared's mouth and sending a shock of heat through him, "someday there's going to be a fight over succession. Because I won't be taking a queen." 

"I—I didn't realize that was possible."

"It hasn't happened for generations, but even royalty should be free to make their own choices." He leans up, breath warm on Jared's face. "What kind of choices do you want to make, Jared?"

The only answer he can make is to lean forward that little bit, brushing his lips across Jensen's. The soft intake of breath he hears sounds pleased as well as surprised, so he leans closer and tries again, more firmly this time.

Jensen's mouth is just as much a pleasure as he had imagined. His lips are full and soft and so skilled as they press against Jared's over and over. It's only a moment before Jensen's arms are around him, pulling him closer, and Jared gives a soft moan against Jensen's mouth as his hands close around Jensen's hips.

For a while, they only kiss, tasting and testing and teasing, like they're going to be slow about this. Jared hasn't been with anyone for months, not since an ill-conceived encounter just outside the city gates almost got him literally caught with his pants down. He has no idea how long it's been for Jensen, but he doubts that the prince has been entertaining any visitors in his attic over the past year. 

So when Jensen's hands start to creep downwards, curving over Jared's ass with a light enough touch that he's clearly being careful about it, Jared tightens his hold on Jensen's hips and tugs him closer. Their groins line up, and the moan that Jensen lets out into Jared's mouth has him shivering in response. 

He leans back enough to tug at the simple shift Jensen prefers to wear. Jensen lifts his arms, and Jared wrestles the garment off of him. He's barely tossed it on the floor when Jensen is tugging his own shirt over his head. Jared fumbles out of his pants, and then Jensen pulls him backwards until they're collapsing onto the pallet. 

Jensen's half on top of him, propped up on his elbows. He ducks his head to kiss Jared, not the slow kisses from a minute ago, but warm and firm, tongue sliding into Jared's mouth to claim. Jared presses up into it, hands coming up to stroke Jensen's bare back. The warm skin beneath his palms feels divine, and he spreads his legs apart so Jensen can nestle between.

Their undergarments are thin enough that Jared can feel Jensen's cock lining up right alongside his. The friction of the light fabric as Jensen starts to move is almost better than being bare, and besides, Jared's not about to separate their bodies now. So he hooks his ankle around Jensen's knee, widening the spread of his legs in the process, and he arches back against the pallet.

Jensen's mouth shifts to Jared's neck as he begins to thrust in earnest against Jared's groin. It's been a long time for Jared, and he can already feel himself rising up towards that crest. He could fight it, could try to slow it down, but this has been so unexpected that he doesn't want to question it lest it vanish. So he arches his head to the side, giving Jensen more room to work with. 

To his delight, Jensen lets out a little moan as his mouth moves against Jared's neck, sucking a path from earlobe to collarbone. Every wet sound his mouth makes is bringing Jared a little closer, and he finally realizes he should be returning the favor. Jensen's shoulder is practically in front of his mouth, and he starts mouthing it and sucking it, tracing a line towards Jensen's neck.

In response, Jensen grinds down against him with a swivel of his hips that has Jared seeing stars. He uses the leverage of his leg wrapped around Jensen's to thrust up against him, one hand coming down to grab a handful of Jensen's ass to hold him in place. The drag of his cock alongside Jensen's has him moaning out loud, fingers clutching more tightly against Jensen's ass and back.

And then Jensen is groaning into his ear, and it would be too loud except that it's so ridiculously hot, and then Jared is coming too, bucking up against the weight of Jensen's body even as he feels his cock pulsing alongside of his own. 

Jensen rolls off of him, the straw rustling beneath his body. "That was…that was good."

Jared's not sure what he's supposed to say. Thank you? Me too? Sorry it wasn't excellent?

When he turns his head to the side, he sees Jensen looking back at him. "No, really," Jensen says. "That was good. Thank you. Not just for this, but for tonight. It was good to get outside. And it was good to do this." He gestures back and forth between them.

"You're welcome?" Jared's voice gets a little too high-pitched at the end, and he clears his throat. 

Jensen flashes him a quick grin before getting up. "I'll wash up and bring you a cloth."

"Thanks," Jared calls after him.

But he falls asleep before Jensen gets back, worn out by the emotion of going outside on Carnival and then finding his release with Jensen. He sleeps solidly until morning, by which time Jensen has already gone. 

 

After that, things change a _lot_.

At least, things change at the end of the day, when Jared and Jensen lie down beside each other and get to know each other in more thorough and detailed ways. Even as it starts to get warmer with the approaching summer, Jared loves how their skin gets slick with sweat, how Jensen's warm, musky smell surrounds him even when it's been hours since they've been in bed. He sleeps well every night now, and he's pretty sure Jensen does, too.

Outside of the bedroom, without speaking about it, they keep their distance from each other, standing a little farther apart and being careful not to look at each other when someone else is around. Danneel gives them a few curious glances at first but then seems to chalk it up to the Carnival experience not being everything Jared hoped it would be. Even when no one else is there, Jensen maintains what Jared has come to think of as his "prince face." 

So it's a bit of a shock every time they fall into bed together, like Jensen has suddenly become another person. He's eager to please Jared, but he still seems to prefer being in charge, and Jared's not going to complain. Anywhere Jensen wants to put his hands or mouth is fine with him, and he's happy that he gets to return the favor. 

They spend a little more time talking during the day—not about what they do at night, and not about the plans of the Skalnye, at least not at first. These conversations are more about themselves, about what their lives were like before the invasion. Jared tells Jensen about his mage training at the university, about what magic can and cannot do. He determinedly talks about it in the present tense, not willing to think of magic as something in the past. Jensen doesn't say anything about it, but the knowing gleam in his eyes suggests he understands what Jared is saying.

For his part, Jensen talks about growing up in the castle and never really getting to learn what life was like for normal people. He even tried sneaking out of the castle a couple of times, once as a ten-year-old and once when he was nearly eighteen, and both times his father's guard caught him before he was outside of the grounds. He'd been frustrated at the time, but he realized later how his father was only worried about his safety. 

They don't talk about what "later" meant, when Jensen had to leave the city for his own safety, and as it turned out, the preservation of the royal family.

The more Jensen talks, the more Jared realizes that he really was born to be king. Not only because of his parentage, but because he would be _good_ at it. He didn't try to run away as a child because he was bored or spoiled, but because he wanted to understand what it was like in the rest of the kingdom. When they trade stories about being outside of Golina over the past few years, Jared gets the sense that Jensen was trying to learn about his people as much as he was trying to protect them by staying on the move. 

When Jensen keeps leaving Jared out of his conversations with Matt and Danneel about his plans with the Skalnye, he explains that it's not because he doesn't trust Jared, but because he needs to keep the information as contained as possible. He's as worried about the people who have stayed loyal to him these past five years as he is about his plans not coming to pass. 

And that's what makes Jared realizes he's falling for Prince Jensen Ackles.

 

They've had to limit themselves in some of their nighttime activities, not having access to all of the supplies they might want. Jensen hasn't wanted to tell Matt or Danneel about what they're up to, and while Jared isn't sure why, he goes along with it. Still, it's not exactly a hardship for Jared to be sucked off by a prince, or to return the favor. 

But one morning when they're waking each other up with mutual blow jobs, Jensen pulls off of him to let out a loud groan. Jared sucks harder, eager to get Jensen there as quickly as possible.

A moment later, there are footsteps pounding up the stairs. 

Looking from between Jensen's legs, Jared gets one glimpse of Matt's shocked face before he whirls around and flees down the stairs. Jensen's already twisting around, trying to see what's going on, and the saliva and pre-come from his dick smear across Jared's cheek as he goes.

"Sorry!" Matt calls from below.

Jared snorts and buries his face in the blanket, surreptitiously wiping his cheek. "I guess they know now."

"I guess they do." Jensen waits until Jared is looking at him again before saying, "I'm sorry. I didn't—I wasn't trying to hide this from anyone, just didn't think it was any of their business."

Jared sighs. "I appreciate that. I do. But nothing you do is just your business, Jensen. Whether you like it or not. It might have been better to come out and tell Matt and Danneel, but yeah, they should know."

Jensen sights and flops backwards, straw rustling beneath him. He's still erect, but Jared's pretty sure that they're both going to remain unsatisfied this morning. "I just wanted something for myself."

Jared has to stifle a laugh at Jensen's almost petulant tone. He rearranges himself so he's lying next to Jensen on the thin pillows before saying, "I guess I can understand that. I mean, I have no idea the pressure you are under right now, from yourself and from other people. I get that you want to have some fun."

Jensen's silent for a long moment, and Jared's heart sinks a little when he doesn't refute Jared's suggestion that this is just for fun. Jared can hear footsteps downstairs, but not on the stairs, and he's glad they're getting this brief bit of privacy. 

Finally Jensen says quietly, "I don't want to stop."

"Me either," Jared reassures him. 

"This is—I mean, I haven't exactly been able to—I've been in hiding for years, Jared. This is not something that usually happens for me."

"I haven't exactly had any steady companionship myself."

"But I don't—I can't make you any promises, Jared. Things might have to change really fast, and—"

"It's all right, I understand." Jared gives him a quick smile, as sincere as he can make it. "If all goes well with whatever you're planning, you'll be back in the palace with no time for someone like me."

"Jared." Jensen gives him a reproachful look. 

He shrugs and sits up. "You should probably get dressed and go see what Matt wanted." 

There's a pause. Then Jensen briefly touches his shoulder before getting up and moving away. 

The conversation apparently isn't over, because later that day, Danneel storms up the stairs when the two of them are poring over another map of the city. "When were you going to tell me?"

"Didn't need your permission," Jensen replies, not looking up from the map. Beside him, Jared stays still and quiet, more than happy to let Jensen handle this.

She sighs. "It's not that, Jensen. It's that you need to be careful around people you don't know."

"You know he's a mage, Danneel," Jensen responds tiredly. "He's not going to be on anyone's side but ours." 

Jared looks at him sharply. "When did you tell her that?"

They ignore him. "Or on his own side," Danneel retorts. "There's more than one reason you haven't told him what your plans are."

Jensen stands up and rubs a hand over his face. "Can we not do this right now?"

Danneel draws in a breath like she's going to say more. Then her gaze flickers to Jared, and she sighs. "I don't mean any offense to you, Jared. It's just—you have no idea how careful we've had to be these past five years."

"Oh no, I'm sure I don't," he retorts. "It's not as though everyone else like me has been hauled away by Pellegrino and never heard from again."

She winces, and Jensen puts his hand on Jared's shoulder. "We don't need to do this right now," Jensen says firmly. "Jared, I need to discuss some things with Danneel. Danneel, we will keep the door closed up here at night. You and Matt should know that unless it's an emergency, you shouldn't come upstairs if that door is still closed. Agreed?"

Jared nods, and Danneel does, too, and then Jared takes himself into the bedroom where he pouts for a moment at still not being included. Then he pushes that aside and meditates until Jensen comes in to tell him their dinner is ready.

That night, when Jensen joins Jared in bed, he's still completely clothed, for the first time since Carnival. "I'm sorry about Danneel," he says, sitting cross-legged on the pallet.

Jared shakes his head. "There's nothing to be sorry about, Jensen. I'd be suspicious in her place, too. She only wants what's best for you."

Jensen cocks his head to the side. "Why do you have to be like that?"

"Like what?"

"So understanding." Jensen snorts. "I was expecting you to be upset or resentful."

"Look, these are highly unusual circumstances." He hears Jensen snort again, and he goes on, "Am I a little resentful that you have to keep sending me out of the room to talk to the other grownups? Maybe. But I shouldn't be, and I _know_ that. I mean, none of you were planning on me living here any more than I was." He gestures at Jensen and the bed they're both sitting on. "And I certainly wasn't planning on _this_."

"No kidding." Jensen gives him a small smile. "I do need to apologize, though. I should have asked you before telling anyone about you being a mage, but I thought they needed to know."

"It's not like I am one at the moment, anyway," Jared mutters.

"No, but it still means you're in danger if anyone else were to know. And you need to be able to trust all of us as much as we can trust you."

Jared nods. "I can't say I'm happy about it, but I understand that your priorities have to come first. Your Majesty."

With a wince, Jensen says, "Some king I'd be if I didn't put my people before myself."

"Well, hopefully you'll get that chance."

They go to sleep after that, without even touching, but also without any of the resentment that they'd spoken of. Jared sleeps fairly deeply, so it's a shock when some time in the middle of the night, he feels Jensen shoving at his shoulder. "Wake up!"

He sits up abruptly, knuckling at his eyes. "What's wrong?"

Danneel is crouching at the other side of the pallet. The moonlight is behind her, so her face is in shadow, but the serious tone of her voice is enough. "We have a problem," she says. 

"What is it?" Jensen asks. He looks wide awake.

"Pellegrino's captive mage. He's been out searching the city."

"For what?"

Jared yawns. "He does this sometimes. Makes the mage go around the city and search for traces of magic, or at least of people who can perform it. I've always been able to avoid him by leaving town or at least keeping out of his way."

"And now?" Danneel asks.

It takes him a moment, but then he realizes her meaning. There's nowhere for him to go. "Shit." 

"How far can he sense other mages?" Jensen asks sharply. 

"Not very far," Jared replies. "I mean, he can't do magic any more than I can. Or she. We don't know who it is. But, not much farther than the street that he's walking down." He gestures towards the courtyard on the other side of the wall. "If he was at the entrance to the courtyard, the way we came in, I don't think he could sense me up here."

"But on the other side?" Danneel points at the interior wall. "There's a pretty busy street right there."

Jared frowns as he realizes he still doesn't know exactly where they are within Golina. "Is that where he went?"

"Well, there's a handful of the Iron Guard at the far end of the street right now," she replies. "And there's a robed figure with them."

"Get out of here." Jensen grabs her wrist. "Out through the courtyard. Go."

"I can't leave you here," she protests. 

"You have to. We have the secret passageway, but even getting two people out of it without being heard is asking a lot." 

Jared can see well enough in the dark now to make out the anguished look on Danneel's face. She starts, "We'll meet at the—" 

"The first rendezvous point. Tomorrow morning. If it turns out it was nothing, we can always come back. And if not, well, we might have to start things a bit earlier than planned." Jensen leans up to give her a quick embrace and then a gentle shove. "Go."

After Danneel leaves, Jensen turns towards him. Jared is still frozen in shock. In a small voice, he asks, "Are they here because of me?"

"They might be," Jensen replies. "Or they might just be on a random patrol."

"Can we wait here?"

"That's the first thing we'll do. If morning comes and we haven't heard them come inside, we should be safe. Matt or Danneel always take with them any papers or plans we were working on, and they're careful to leave the downstairs as empty as they can. Someone coming in off the street might think there have been squatters here, but that's it."

Jared nods. "What about this secret passageway? Where does it go?"

"I thought I told you to get familiar with it!"

"I couldn't find it!" Jared realizes he's been raising his voice, and he lowers it again. "I suppose that's a good sign, right?"

Jensen shakes his head in exasperation. "Here." He leans across Jared and presses at a knot in the floorboards, right up against the wall. A moment later, there's a soft scraping sound, and a section of the wall about twice the width of Jared's hand slides open. A musty smell rises up, along with enough dust that he has to fight not to sneeze.

"It's a narrow stairway that goes all the way down to the ground floor, with one bend towards the end," Jensen says. "Comes out on the main street Danneel mentioned."

Jared nods. "Should we go?" He's not thrilled about the idea of descending into pitch blackness, but it's obviously better than being found by the Iron Guard.

"Let's wait a bit," Jensen says. "It might still be a random patrol."

They wait in silence, straining their ears to hear anything from outside. Jared hasn't been awake in the middle of the night here before, so he doesn't know what the normal nighttime sounds are. There's always something in the city, always somebody out and about no matter how late it is. Hell, he's been that person a time or two himself, even when the curfew was strictly enforced. There's no better time for a smuggler to move around than when everyone else is asleep.

From far below, there's the sound of a creaking door, and Jensen's eyes go wide. He leans closer and whispers, "We never use that door. Too noisy."

Jared gulps. A moment later, Jensen slowly starts to get to his feet, and Jared follows. They keep listening, and sure enough, a moment later, there are footsteps on the stairs below. Not the staircase leading up to their attic, but a level below. That's still way too close, and Jared knows they have to go.

Without a word, Jensen leads him into the secret passageway. They both have to go in sideways, and Jared nearly stumbles before realizing the passageway immediately becomes a stairway. Jensen catches him, and he leans against the rough wooden walls to get his bearings.

Jensen reaches past him to touch that same knot in the floorboards, and the wall slides into place again.

Now it's completely pitch black, no matter how Jared strains to see. He feels Jensen take both of his hands. One he clasps in his own, and the other he places on the wall in front of him. Jared squeezes his hand to say that he understands, and then Jensen starts down the steps. They go slowly, one sideways step at a time, lifting and placing their feet as soundlessly as they can. Jared's fingertips brush the wall, splinters occasionally pricking his fingers. 

They freeze when they hear voices right on the other side of the wall. Jared desperately hopes that it's not the captive mage come to sniff him out. But a moment later, the voices move on, and they slowly continue downwards.

They make the bend that Jensen had mentioned, and then Jensen tugs him to a halt. Jared can't see in the darkened space, but he imagines Jensen is putting his ear to the door, listening for any sounds from outside. Then, ever so cautiously, Jensen cracks the door open.

A sliver of moonlight slides in, even the dim light sudden enough that Jared has to blink. When he's ready, he nods at Jensen, who inches the door open far enough for them to peer out.

There's one Guardsman standing at the door to their building. He's looking away from them, towards where the street makes a bend a few houses away. To their right, the street continues on, straight and broad and empty. 

Jensen gestures with a sharp hooking motion, and Jared realizes he's referring to a side street that must run along the edge of their building. If they can slip out to the right without being seen and get down that street, they have a chance to get away.

He nods and mouths, _Ready_.

Jensen pauses for a moment, searching Jared's face. Jared has no idea what he's looking for, but after a moment, he gives a short nod and looks away. He grabs Jared's hand and leans forward to look out of the doorway.

A moment later, he steps through the doorway, pulling Jared behind him.

They flatten themselves against the building, inching their way along. Anyone walking by would instantly notice their attempts to hide, but as long as the Guardsman keeps looking the other way, their movements won't attract his attention. 

The side street is close now, within a dozen steps. Jensen inches forward, walking sideways, arms extended on either side against the front of the building. Jared follows suit, wishing with all of his heart that he could use just one spell right now to cover them up with the night and make them truly invisible. He knows he can't have that, but as long as Pellegrino's captive mage stays inside the building for just a moment more—

"Hey!"

They look over their shoulders in unison, and Jared's heart sinks. The Guardsman is pointing at them and drawing his sword. "It's him," he calls over his shoulder. "It's Ackles!"

Jared and Jensen only have time to exchange a quick, frightened glance before they're running full-tilt down the cobblestoned street. Jared takes the lead as they pass the first side street and head down the second one, trusting that he can outrace the soldiers in this familiar setting.

But except for the time they snuck out in the dead of night, Jared hasn't been outside beyond the courtyard in months. So it's a shock to be in the streets of Golina again. He would have thought the map of the city was burned into his brain, but as he leads Jensen through one side street after another, he realizes he doesn't quite know where they are. Since he has no idea where they're going, it probably doesn't matter, but he doesn't want to lead them into a trap by mistake.

"The river," Jensen pants from behind him. "Get us to the river."

Jared wants to ask why, but he has to save his breath for running. Instead, he calculates where he thinks the river is and starts to bend their path in that direction. They duck under a low line of washing set out to catch the nighttime breeze stretching across the narrow street, then skid on freshly-washed cobblestones outside a shop. The sun is just starting to come up, glimpses of pink coming between the buildings.

The shouts behind them have trailed off, though Jared can still hear the pounding of feet. When he hazards a glance back, he sees only two pursuers, and that urges him to go faster. They've pulled away from most of the Guard; if they can just lose these two, they'll be okay.

There's a wider street coming up, and in an instant Jared recognizes the tall trees that line the Avenue of Kings. He silently curses, knowing they'll have to backtrack in order to get down to the river. They can go down the Avenue for a short distance, but then their chances of being spotted go up. There aren't too many people out this early, but he can't count on them all being uninterested in two young men fleeing the Guard. 

And then there are shouts to his left, down the long expanse of the Avenue, and Jared's heart sinks. He glances that way as they race across the Avenue and into another side street, and he's horrified to see half a dozen men in the Guard's uniforms headed their way, swords drawn.

The side street is lined with shops that won't be open for a few more hours: leatherworkers and weavers and the like. Every alley Jared peers down is a dead end, and he's running out of ideas.

When the idea strikes him, he comes to a halt so fast that Jensen almost crashes into him. Jared whirls around to steady them both and to take Jensen by the shoulders. "We can't outrun them," he pants.

"Yes, we can," Jensen insists, shoving at his chest. "Just go!"

"Listen to me." He gives Jensen's shoulders a shake. "Go left at the next corner, then two right turns. That will take you to the river. Got it?"

Jensen's eyes are wide. "What about you?"

"I'll go another way and draw them off you."

Now Jensen's shaking his head vehemently. "Jared, I can't let you—"

"They were here for you, not me. They might not even know who I am. And they _cannot_ get their hands on you. No matter what." Jared gives him another shake before pushing him away. "Now go!"

He sees the fear in Jensen's eyes, the fear for _him_. But he also sees the prince's awareness and resolve, and Jared's so proud of him even while he's terrified for himself.

Then he's shocked as Jensen leans up and kisses him, hard and fierce and raw. 

He doesn't even have time to kiss back before Jensen is pulling away and darting past him, not looking at Jared as he goes.

Jared whirls to watch him speeding around the corner just as running footsteps enter the street behind him. He glances over his shoulder just long enough to see that they've spotted him, and then he takes off again. 

He turns quickly to the right, away from where Jensen has gone. His lips feel like they're burning, and there's the ghost of a scratch on his chin where Jensen's stubble must have brushed him. He can't believe Jensen did that, right at a moment when there was no way Jared could return the favor, no way they could talk about how they'd gotten to this point or what was next.

_If there can even be anything next,_ Jared thinks bleakly as he hears the footsteps still behind him.

He turns again, away from the river, onto a narrow street that turns into stone steps leading up a small hill. There's a park at the top with a view of the river, and he stumbles on the steps as he realizes he might be leading them right to the best place to see where Jensen has gone—

A hand closes around his calf, and he falls forward, hands smashing against the stone. He kicks free and starts up again, but there are more hands on his other leg, and then one grabbing his arm, and suddenly he's face down on the steps, a knee jabbing between his shoulder blades to keep him down. 

Jared keeps struggling for as long as he can, sometimes managing to kick off one of his assailants before another tightens their grip. If they're all focused on him, they're not looking for Jensen, and his desperation fuels his fight for a little while longer.

But then there's a solid blow to his lower back that has him grunting with pain, and then he feels a metal cuff closing around one wrist. He gathers his strength for one last push, but at the ring of steel being drawn and the sharp prick of a blade against the back of his neck, he goes still.

Jared hasn't thought this out much farther than "make sure Jensen gets away," and now he's paying the price. They're cuffing his wrists together none too gently behind his back, and the blade at his neck isn't moving as they do so. He can only stare at the grey stone inches from his face as the sudden, cold realization washes over him of what has happened, and what is likely to happen to him next.

When they're done, they haul him to his feet, and he sees three Guards standing with swords at the ready, besides the two men holding him. Three more are at the bottom of the steps, and that means no one is left to be chasing after Jensen, and thank the Mother for that.

It's still early enough that there aren't many people on the streets to watch Jared being marched to the castle. He's fervently glad for that—too many times he's had to watch as some unfortunate soul was paraded through the streets. Looking away or trying to duck out of sight could bring you the wrong kind of attention, since the Guard wanted people to see the consequences of disobeying. Averting your gaze meant you weren't learning a lesson and might well get brought along. Jared's even seen people he knows making this same walk, surrounded by the Guard with the same hopeless fear he knows must be on his own face. He hopes there's no one out this morning who knows him and will see what's happened.

Some kind of luck is with him, because the few people they do pass show no sign of recognition. There's just the hard gazes of the few who think he's probably getting what he deserves, mixed with the more common expressions of resigned bleakness. He doesn't catch anyone's eye, but he doesn't lower his head, either. Even though he's terrified to think of what might be in store for him, at least they didn't get Jensen. As long as the prince is safe, that's what really matters.

Jared ignores the little voice that reminds him if he's the only mage left in the city, he's just as valuable as the prince. That's a moot point right now, anyway. All he can do is hope that he can hold out long enough for whatever plan Jensen has worked up to come to fruition. If it's even still viable, now that the hiding place of the Skalnye has been found out.


	3. Chapter 3

All they do to Jared at first is leave him in an underground cell. There's a tiny window with bars across it that he can't even fit his wrist through, but it's enough to let in a small amount of air and light. There are about a dozen other cells along this corridor, most of them unoccupied. No one has tried to talk to Jared, and he thinks he's grateful for that. At least he hasn't heard Jensen's voice, which means he got away successfully.

Unless they slaughtered him on the spot, but Jared can't think that way.

His shirt has a gash down the back, and one of the arms is half ripped off from the scuffle on the stairs. It's cold in the evenings, the breeze through the window brushing along his back no matter how he tries to prevent it. During the day, it gets plenty warm, so that half the time Jared sheds his tattered shirt and tries to stay out of the few rays of the sun that make it though the small window. 

Someone brings a bowl of gruel once a day, around noon based on the lighting. There's straw piled up in one corner, enough either to sleep on or cover it up when he relieves himself. He starts with the former, but once he realizes he has no idea how long he's going to be here, he shifts to the latter. It reeks down here anyway, like sweat and fear, but damn if he's going to make it worse than it is.

He practices meditating as much as he can. In part, it's something to do, along with the exercises he makes himself do to keep in as much physical shape as he can. But mostly, it's to stay calm. He knows the anticipation is part of the planned torture, that they want him to think about what might be coming. As long as he can keep his mind on what he wants it to be on, rather than what they want him to be thinking about, he stands a chance.

It's about the time he realizes this that they finally come for him.

There are three of the Guard, heavily armed, surrounding him on all sides. Jared's not sure if it's a good sign or not that they aren't putting him in chains. It's not like he can go anywhere anyway; there are more of the Guard at every hallway they pass, and the men escorting him have their swords drawn. He doesn't see anyone else in the cells they pass, which gives him hope that not only Jensen, but the rest of the Skalnye, have gotten safely away.

When they bring him into a small chamber, his heart sinks. There's a metal chair in the middle, shackles built into the arms and legs. No need for chains when he's going to be put in that. 

They shove him down and strap him in, the shackles cutting into both wrists and ankles. Jared holds his head up high, determined not to show fear. Whatever they're going to do to him, he's going to withstand it. 

At first, he's right. They beat him a little, with fists and with crops, and while it hurts, it's nothing he can't handle. He's able to concentrate on his breathing, even as it grows uneven and ragged. His heart is beating faster than normal, but not too wildly.

His heart starts going a little faster when he realizes that they aren't asking him anything. There's no information they're trying to gather. They're just _hurting_ him. Which means either they're trying to soften him up for a later interrogation, or they don't need to know anything because they already have what they want.

Jared grits his teeth. He can't let himself think about that. If they had Jensen, they wouldn't bother torturing either one of them. So that means they're trying to break him down. Well, he can deal with that. 

He isn’t sure how much time passes, but eventually they stop. His jaw is sore, there's blood dripping down his temple, and his gut is cramping. He closes his eyes and tries to gather himself for another round. They might be trying to trick him into letting down his guard and thinking that it's over, before starting in again.

Instead, they take him back to his cell. Jared collapses gratefully onto the straw, not caring how it smells. He's going to need all of the rest he can get from here on out.

Except they're not going to let him rest.

Every time Jared's on the verge of sleep, or has just fallen asleep, they haul him to his feet again. Sometimes they beat him some more; other times, they just strap him into the chair. When his head starts to nod, they smack him awake. When they bring him back to his cell, exhausted and sore, he tries to sleep, but it's no use. They just won't let him.

The next time he's in the chair, Jared decides to try and meditate. It's not as good as sleeping, but it might provide him with some kind of rest. They beat him when he closes his eyes, though, so he concentrates on the rough stone floor a few feet in front of him instead. His breathing isn't exactly calm or regular, and there are plenty of unwanted thoughts flying through his head. But it does help, and what he estimates to be another day passes like that.

They feed him sometimes, a thin and watery gruel that's probably only providing the bare minimum in terms of nourishment. Jared remembers the days after the Iron Lord's triumph, when the Guard burned the storehouses of grain and flour even as they set fire to the fields outside the city. They were counting on people to turn on each other in their desperation for food, making their own job easier as the people they had newly conquered fought each other instead of the occupiers. But everyone had banded together, sharing what little they had, fully aware that they were not each other's enemies.

Jared remembers learning to go without dinner on a regular basis, so the hunger pangs he's feeling now are almost familiar. Ironically, they bring him back to a time of strength, of banding together, and he's able to draw on that memory as his stomach rumbles and clenches. 

They've started asking him questions now, like where he's been hiding and who has been protecting him. It's not quite the question he's been anticipating, but he forces his mind away from that. He's getting light-headed from lack of sleep, and he doesn't want to have anything at the forefront of his mind that might slip out if he's not paying attention. Apparently they do know who he is, or at least that he was someone they were searching for before he dropped out of sight.

"We know you were hiding with the prince," one of the Guards presses, a medium-sized man with a scraggly blond beard. "It's not possible to disappear like you did on your own."

Jared raises his head and looks him in the eye. He has to pause a moment before he can form the words, but he says slowly, "Maybe I'm…just…that good."

That gets him a smack across the face, but his jaw and cheek have been masses of pain for a while now. "If you were that good, you wouldn't be in here," the guard leers.

_Fair point_ , Jared thinks to himself, then closes his eyes. _Focus on your breath. In and out. In and out._ The guard hits him again, but Jared lets it wash over him, concentrates on his breathing instead. At some point this has to stop, right? It's going to stop, and he just has to hold out until then.

When they bring him back to his cell, he feels half dead as he collapses into the straw. He feels tiredness in every bone of his body, but he knows there's no use in trying to sleep.

A few minutes pass, and there's no one standing outside his cell. A few minutes more, and he's still alone. Cautiously, Jared closes his eyes and focuses on his breathing. He feels the pull of sleep tugging at him almost instantly, and he gratefully gives up and lets go.

He dreams about Jensen, sees him laughing outside in the sunlight, hears him groan long and low as he thrusts against Jared's skin. He dreams about the attic room and the narrow pallet, about the courtyard and the dry fountain. There's a low voice murmuring words he can't quite hear, but it's a quiet, soothing sound, and he lets it wash over him. He dreams about the last time he saw Jensen, the chase through the streets and the way that Jensen fled, even as the Guard closed in around Jared.

When Jared wakes up with a start, he sees someone crouching outside the door of his cell. It's a young man, in the uniform of the Guard, scribbling furiously on a scroll with a quill. He looks up at Jared and draws his head back as if startled to see him awake.

Jared tries to moisten his dry lips, but his mouth is parched. His throat is slightly sore, like he's been talking for a long time. But he's said barely a word since he's been here, most of them taunts or comebacks. Why would he feel like he's been talking…?

He looks at the young man, scrambling to his feet and holding the parchment out so the ink doesn't smear, and his heart sinks. "What's on there?" he croaks out.

"So much helpful information." It's the blond man again, smirking as he looms over them both with his arms folded. "You see, if someone gets tired enough, they can't tell the difference between being asleep and being awake. Just a few questions, and they're happy to tell you everything they know. Easier than torturing them for it, though I admit it's not as much fun." He reaches for the parchment and looks it over, eyebrows raising.

There's a knot twisting in Jared's gut that has nothing to do with how hungry he is. "What did I say?" he asks as sharply as he can. His mind is racing as he tries to think of the details of his dream and of what he might have let slip.

"I'll let you know after we do a sweep by the river," the guard says. "Then again, once we bring Jensen Ackles in here, I guess you'll be able to figure it out for yourself."

"No!" It's a weak cry, but Jared has to make it. He slumps back down, feeling sick to his stomach.

He gets a laugh in reply as the two guards stalk off, finally leaving him alone.

Jared's still exhausted, his mind barely able to function in a straight line. He's sure of one thing, though—even if Jensen had headed to the river to meet up with Danneel, or whatever else he was doing there, he would be too smart to stay there for long. And he wouldn't go back to the place he's been hiding all this time. Even if the entire Iron Guard ransacked the place, they wouldn't find anything. And thanks to Jensen's abundance of caution, Jared doesn't know anything about his plans or where he might have gone, no matter what his captors try to get out of him. Jared tries to hold on to that hope as he falls into unconsciousness again, this time exhausted in spirit as well as body.

Jared has no idea how much time passes before they come for him again. When they strap him into the chair, he's tentatively relieved. When they start asking him about where Jensen has gone, he briefly closes his eyes in thanks.

Then he sees the tools arrayed on a tray next to the chair, and his relief turns to dread. 

"You know where he would have gone," the same blond Guardsman says. "You're going to tell us all of the places he might be, and everything that he might be doing there."

"He might have gone anywhere," Jared wearily replies. "And he never told me what he was planning. He didn't trust me enough to—"

That gets him a backhand across the face. "He trusted you enough to fuck you, at least if what you were muttering in your sleep is true. So what else did he tell you?"

Jared sets his jaw, determined not to say another word. Part of him wants to laugh at how right Jensen was not to entrust him with any of the details of his plan. If he knew that what he feared had come to pass, that Jared was being tortured by the Iron Guard, he'd be horrified. But he would have been right.

Before the Guard can pick up any of the sharp instruments, there's a sudden, low rumble from the floor. Jared can feel it vibrating through the solid metal legs of the chair and the shackles around his wrists and ankles. Then he realizes it's not just coming from the floor, but from the walls and ceiling as well. Dirt and dust sift down from overhead, their gentle patter on the ground making an ominous sound.

"What the hell is that?" the Guardsman asks, looking up from the tray of implements.

The rumbling intensifies, and Jared looks around nervously. He's heard of other parts of the world where the earth regularly shakes, but such things don't happen here. What else could explain this, though?

He's looking at the stones of the far wall when he sees them somehow warp and twist in place. Then the flagstones on the ground start to move in the same peculiar way, somehow shifting towards him without moving at all, and Jared cries out, chained down as he is.

He feels the wave pass over him even as he sees the Guardsmen futilely trying to duck out of the way. Despite his fear, it doesn't hurt. It doesn't feel like anything at all, although there is something that it reminds him of if he can focus his tired brain enough to think of it.

"What the hell was that?" the blond repeats again. 

Jared feels different somehow. If he had to describe it, he would have said that he feels lighter—no, that's not it. More solid, actually, like something has settled into him that's been missing and that—

Jared's head snaps up. "The Sceptre," he whispers, his heart suddenly leaping. The last time he felt that odd sensation and saw the world twist around him, it was when the Iron Lord shut down the kingdom's magic by wresting the Cloud Stone from the Sceptre. If Jared is feeling it again, that means magic has been restored.

It means Jensen has _won_.

Neither of the Guards heard his whisper, and Jared ducks his head to hide his suddenly gleeful expression. It's been so long since he tried magic that for a moment he can't remember even the most basic of spells. There's healing, of course, but that takes a fair amount of energy and he has precious little to spare. 

Jared almost laughs out loud as it hits him. One of the first spells they were taught in their training was locking and unlocking. It takes a moment to think of the right words, and a moment longer to focus his concentration. He's half afraid to try, ready to feel that same nothingness that he's felt for years every time he's inadvertently tried to use his magic.

A second later, though, the shackles are falling away from his wrists and ankles and clattering to the floor.

The young Guardsman looks up sharply, eyes going wide. "How did you—"

Jared rises to his feet, even if he has to briefly lean on the arms of the chair to do so. He turns around as quickly as he can, wanting his back against the wall. "You've lost," he says, voice raspy but growing stronger. "That was the Sceptre. The Stone has been restored, and our king will be, too. Your Iron Lord has _lost_."

"Don't be ridiculous." The blond guardsman draws the knife from his belt. "Get back in that chair, or we'll make you regret it."

Transmutation was one of the more advanced spells Jared had been introduced to but not quite mastered. So it's with a little trepidation that he murmurs the words as best he remembers them and reaches out towards the knife with a twisting gesture.

The knife falls away in a shower of salt to the ground. Jared had intended it to be sand or dust, but this works well enough. He raises his hands to shoulder level, palms out, and fixes the older Guardsman with as steely a gaze as he can muster.

The rustle off to his left is clearly the younger man making a break for the door. Jared would try and stop him, but he figures the guy is probably on his way to save his own ass, not help in any kind of battle that might be going on. The man in front of him, though—he's more dangerous, not just because of the sword at his side but the malevolent look in his eyes. 

When he draws his sword, Jared brings his fingers together and starts the same spell. But nothing happens, and he curses under his breath when he realizes the metal is different from that of the knife. By the time he remembers the right words, the man is lunging forward, sword tip aimed for Jared's chest.

Jared stumbles to the side, catching himself against the wall with one hand. With the other, he murmurs a spell at the other wall, the one the Guardsman is now headed towards, closing his fist with a satisfied gesture as he remembers what to do.

The sword sinks into the wall like a knife into butter. Jared waits for a second as the man stumbles after it, waits until his hand has slipped into the near-liquid that the stones have become.

And then Jared opens his hand. 

The wall re-solidifies around both sword and hand, stopping the man in his tracks.

Long ago, Jared and his fellow trainees were taught how to deal with accidentally merging themselves with other objects when they tried to grasp them from a distance or move themselves through walls. So he knows that it doesn't hurt, exactly, it's just extremely disconcerting. 

The Guard is looking down at his arm in disbelief, where his sword and the hand holding it are no longer visible. He tugs, hard, but he's stuck inside the wall. He starts yelling, first at Jared and then at the world in general. They aren't screams of pain or terror, just anger and confusion. 

Jared leaves him where he is. He has more important things to do, like find Jensen and see how he can help. 

Once out in the hallway, he takes the time to do a simple healing spell, despite the energy it will cost. After a moment, the aches in his midriff and jaw fade until they're barely noticeable. Jared finds himself grinning, both from the release from pain and the simple joy of being able to do something he's been denied for so long. He's yearned for this so many times in the last five years, just to do something simple. The thrill of having his magic back is more than enough to dull the remaining pain.

There's another spell Jared remembers, an energy-booster that they all learned early in their training to help with late-night studying. It won't last for long, not with how tired he is, but he trusts it will help for now. He murmurs the words, touches his temples, and then shudders at the bolt that surges through him. He's going to crash hard when it's used up, but for now it's necessary if he's going to stay on his feet.

Head clearer than it's been for days, Jared starts upwards from the torture room. He comes across two more Guards within the dungeon, quietly putting them to sleep before they even see him. There are no other prisoners in the cells he passes along the way. The lock on the main door springs open with another simple spell, and then he's outside and free.

Jared has no idea where he is—he's only been to the palace a few times for the ceremonies that opened every year of their training. He remembers the high-vaulted throne room and the Cloud Stone glowing gently from its place atop the Sceptre. How to get to the throne room, though, he has no idea.

Jensen needs him, though, and that drives him forward. Even if the prince has managed to restore the Sceptre, that doesn't mean he's managed to take back the throne. Whatever Jared can do to help him, he's going to do it.

"Gotta be upstairs," he mutters, and with that, he starts upwards.

There are a few more Guardsmen to dispatch along the way, but it's getting easier as he goes to simply drop them into unconsciousness and remove their swords. He can hear the thump of footsteps in the halls over his head, but whether it's reinforcements coming to the Iron Lord's aid or Jensen's people, he has no idea. At some point, he opens a door and tosses the swords he's accumulated inside before locking the door. No use making it easy for any of them to rejoin the fray when they do wake up.

Finally, he slips out a door into what looks like a main hallway. There are a handful of Guardsmen scattered on the ground, some groaning in pain and others not moving at all. Red blood streaks the grey-and-white marble floors, but almost everyone on the ground is wearing the deep grey uniform of the Iron Guard.

Hope surging within him, Jared starts forward down the hall. He pauses only to pick up a discarded sword as he goes. He's searching his memory for defensive or offensive spells, but coming up largely empty. Battle magic wasn't something they'd covered yet in their training, and their instructors had warned them about the dangers of using it unprepared. Even highly trained mages rarely went to the battlefield, since distraction could easily lead to a wrong word or gesture that could break an entire spell. 

Jared remembers how to cast a basic shield, though, and he sketches it in the air in front of him and murmurs the words as he rounds the corner. This is a wider hallway, with lush red carpet in a straight line down the middle. There are more bodies strewn about, this time not all in the iron grey uniforms. Surely this hallway will take him to the throne room, and he quickens his steps while struggling to keep the shield raised in front of him.

It pays off when a Guardsman lunges around a corner just in front of him. He's got his sword raised high, and Jared can't react quickly enough before he brings it down with a dark grin.

The sword clangs off of empty air a hand's-breadth in front of Jared's face.

He's not sure whose eyes are wider, his or the Guardsman. Jared's the one who reacts more quickly, though, darting back and flinging a fire spell at the sword to heat it enough so the man will drop it.

He forgets about the shield, and the spell runs up against it with a hiss, flames briefly flaring higher than his head. When they die down so that he can see again, the Guardsman is already running away, sword dropping with a thump to the carpet. 

Making sure the shield is firmly in place, Jared marches on. He can hear something up ahead that sounds like the clashing of swords. He takes a firmer grip on his own weapon and moves forward, bracing for whatever he might find.

One of the large, gilded doors to the throne room is wide open, inadvertently propped by the corpse of a woman in rags. She has a knife clenched in one hand, face frozen in a snarl. One of Jensen's, then—one of _theirs_. Jared whispers a prayer for her soul and carefully steps over her, bracing himself for what he's going to find. 

The first thing he sees is the Sceptre. It's standing upright in its holder next to the throne, the Cloud Stone at the top softly glowing. It gives a gentle pulse when Jared enters the room, briefly growing brighter as if in welcome. Feeling odd, but also feeling that it's something he has to do, Jared raises a hand towards it in salute. It pulses again more quietly, and he puts his hand down, a strange sensation of warmth flickering through him.

The sharp shock of blade on blade reaches his ears, and he looks away from the stone to realize he's missed the most important thing in the room. Two figures are locked in battle, swords clashing in a duel. To Jared's left, a dozen Guardsmen are arrayed in a half circle, containing the battle to the center of the room with their identically raised, polished swords. To his right, ten men and women in the same ragged clothing as the woman at the door are standing guard as well, a motley collection of weapons raised. Given the fierce determination on their faces, Jared knows which side he'd bet on, even if he hadn't already cast his lot in with them.

The Iron Lord is one of the dueling figures, of course, dull grey sword barely catching the light as he moves. It looks like a heavy weapon, but he wields it capably, bringing it down in heavy strokes that score the marble floor when he misses his mark.

His mark, on the other hand…Jared had known Jensen was graceful, but he's never seen him in action like this. He darts beneath a crushing blow, pivots and slices sideways to score a hit on a briefly-unprotected shoulder, dances out of the way before raising his blade again. Jared doesn't know why it didn't occur to him that the prince would be a master swordsman, but he's beautiful to watch.

There's a large space cleared in the middle of the room, plenty of room for the fight. Still, as they thrust and parry, the two fighters move from one of end of the cleared space to the other. Jared holds his breath as Jensen leans backward under the press of crossed swords; he breathes again as Jensen ducks out with a twirl of his bowed legs and raises his sword once more.

Soon, they're close to where the Guard stand in their semi-circle. Neither man seems aware of their presence, and so it's Jared who notices that one of the Guards is leaning closer, sword still upraised but with a short knife in his left hand. Jensen's weight is forward on his right leg, but his left leg is extended backwards, and with horror, Jared realizes the knife is moving towards it.

"No!" he shouts, raising a hand to point at the Guardsman. He stutters out the words of the first spell that pops into his head, one that he just recited a few minutes ago.

With a rush and a pop, the sleeve of the man holding the knife goes up in a rush of flame. 

Jensen ducks and whirls around to avoid the heat. Jared's staring in horror as the Guardsman tries to put out the fire that's spreading up his arm. The other members of the Guard are beating at it, or trying to, as he frantically waves it around with a shriek.

Jared finally remembers that he can do something about it, and his voice somewhat shakier now, he recites a freezing spell and aims it at the man's arm. Instantly, there's a sharp crackle, and the fire is instantly gone. The man is still crying out, but at least his arm isn't on fire anymore.

The two fighters have gone still, both turning towards Jared. He senses the fury of the Iron Lord's gaze on him, and he meets the man's eyes with a calmness he barely feels. He raises his voice as he says, "If you've cleared the space and set up your honor guard, you are bound by the rules of a duel. And that is supposed to be between two people only. There is no room in this place for a dishonorable fight." He glares at the man who has occupied his kingdom and oppressed his people for the past five years and barks, "You must yield!"

There's silence for a moment. Jared glances at Jensen, who is staring at him in disbelief. Slowly, though, a smile spreads across Jensen's face, and then to Jared's surprise, he lets out a whoop and turns back to the Iron Lord, sword upraised once more. "You heard my mage. Yield!"

After that, even though the Iron Lord raises his sword in response, it's basically over. Jensen's battling more fiercely than ever now, pressing forward until he finally forces the man's sword out of his hand. In a flash, Jensen's blade is at Pellegrino's throat. 

Jensen has only an inch or so of height on his opponent, but he seems to be much taller than that as he looms over him. Behind Jensen, the Guard are casting wary looks back and forth between him and Jared. Just for good measure, Jared raises a hand menacingly, and they go still.

A moment later, the Iron Lord drops to one knee, head bowed.

The rush of relief that sweeps over Jared is so immense, he almost falls to one knee himself. He manages to hold steady as Jensen nods at his people, and they swiftly move to disarm the Guardsmen. 

For his part, Jensen has reached out to pluck the crown from the head of the man kneeling before him. "This will be reforged," he says. "Melted down to form fencing or farm tools. You destroyed our crowns; we will make something useful out of yours." 

Jared wants to cheer, but this moment is Jensen's alone. He steps back instead, watching the Skalnye disarm the Guardsmen and march them away, presumably to the same dungeons where Jared just was. Two of them take the Iron Lord, one at each arm, and soon he is gone as well.

The sounds of battle are still coming from the hallways, but those will die down as Jensen's people move through. At least Jared hopes so—he realizes suddenly that he has no idea how many people Jensen even has, how many members of the Skalnye there are, much less here in the castle. With no battle magic himself, he can't offer to help, at least not in terms of cleansing the castle. 

When Jared looks back from hallway, he realizes with a jolt that Jensen is standing in front of him. Jensen's looking him over from head to toe, face going pale as he takes in the streaks of blood on Jared's face and his tattered clothing. "Are you all right?" he asks quietly, sounding afraid of the answer.

"I will be," Jared says with a tired smile. "Once I sleep for about a week."

"Jared." Jensen reaches out and briefly embraces him. Jared doesn't even have time to return the favor before Jensen is drawing back. He raises a hand as if to touch Jared's face but settles for a hand on his upper arm instead. "I was so worried for you," he says softly. "You have no idea how good it is to see you."

Jared feels a little thrill run down his spine. "It's good to see you, too. Your Majesty."

Jensen's face scrunches up, but he doesn't protest as he had done before. "I was so afraid they had—anyway." He shakes his head, something dark flickering in his eyes before he straightens up. "You're here now."

"They tried to make me tell them where you were," Jared says. "But I didn't." He rolls his eyes. "Mostly because I didn't know. You were right in trying to keep everything to yourself."

A shadow passes over Jensen's face. "I am so sorry you had to go through that."

"It's my fault." Jared can finally say what he's been thinking this whole time. "If I hadn't insisted that we go outside, they wouldn't have known you were in the city. I should have listened to you, Jensen."

"It was my choice," Jensen replies. "My responsibility for what happened afterwards, including what happened to you. I am sorry that you were hurt because of me." 

"I would do it again," Jared says, gathering up his courage and voicing words that he's been thinking throughout his captivity. "Enduring what I had to in order to protect you, but also going outside with you. Because of what came after, for us."

Jensen's eyes widen. He looks at Jared for a long moment, and Jared decides to let his heart show on his face. They've both taken such huge risks to get to this day, not only in the last week but for years. What's another one?

To his shock, Jensen steps back, his hand falling away. "Jared, I—I am truly glad to see you again, whole and unharmed. And I look forward to having you work beside me to restore our magic, and indeed our entire kingdom. But that—that is all that it can be."

Jared's heart plummets as abruptly as it rose a few minutes ago. He has to try twice before he's able to speak. "I—I understand. Your Majesty."

Jensen glares at him, and Jared lifts his chin. If Jensen wants to be formal, then he's going to be formal. He goes on, "How can I be of assistance?"

"Jared, I—" Jensen sighs. Then he straightens his shoulders, and though the change of expression on his face is subtle, it's clear. He's a prince now, soon to be a king, and he has the regal bearing down pat. "There's a great deal of work still to do in the castle. I don't know how many of the Guard there are, and I'm not sure I have enough people to subdue them all. Is there anything you can do?"

"I can't snap my fingers and make them disappear, if that's what you're hoping for."

"I didn't say that. And as simple a solution as that would be, there has been enough death in this kingdom. I will send the Iron Guard back to Ferrendia, assuming they are willing. As long as they stay in their own kingdom from now on, I have no issues with them."

"And the Iron Lord?" Jared asks. "Will you let him go as well?"

Jensen's eyes narrow. "There are other kinds of justice to be administered. He will receive a fair trial, but I have no doubt that he will be convicted of crimes against our people, and perhaps his own." Before Jared can ask what he means by that, he goes on, "In the meantime, perhaps there are other ways you can help."

"You saw what happened when I tried." Jared gestures at the empty space where a short while ago, he'd set a man's arm on fire. "I'm not skilled enough in this type of magic, Jensen."

"I agree that trying to set things on fire might not end well for my palace," Jensen says drily. "But there must be other ways. The ice—you could freeze the hallways and make them slip, or build an ice wall to block them in."

"Of course!" Jared grins. "Or what I did downstairs—I could sink them into the stone far enough that they can't move."

Jensen's face blanches a little at that, but all he says is, "Be careful, Jared. I need you too much for something to happen to you now."

He thinks for a moment that Jensen has relented on his earlier proclamation that they can only be friends, but then he realizes—that's exactly it. Jensen needs him as a mage, and Jared tries to hide his disappointment behind a quick smile. "You be careful, too. You're just as irreplaceable as you were before."

"Jensen!"

They whirl to see Danneel racing into the throne room. She has a sword sheathed at her side, and to Jared's surprise, she's wearing the uniform of the Iron Guard. It's streaked with blood, but given how quickly and easily she's moving, Jared doesn't think much of it is hers. "Jensen, we looked everywhere, and we didn't see—" She comes to an abrupt halt. "Jared."

He gives her a small wave.

"Thank the Mother." She comes closer, and to Jared's astonishment, she throws her arms around him.

He hugs her back, looking questioningly over her head at Jensen. Before either of them can say anything, Danneel draws back. "I'm glad you're okay," she says.

"I'm glad you restored the Sceptre," Jared replies. "Whoever did it, that is." 

She nods. She's looking back and forth between the two of them, brow slightly furrowed. Finally, she gives her head a brief shake and turns to Jensen. "There were only a couple of people in the dungeons, and they've been released. Plenty of room for Pellegrino and friends."

They part after that, Jensen and Danneel crossing the throne room to confer with two of the men who had helped to take the prisoners below. Despite Danneel's words, there won't be enough room in the dungeons for all of the Guard who are stationed in Golina, Jared realizes, and that's another way in which Jensen's suggestions were genius. Not only here, but out in the city, the Guard needs to be quickly dealt with before they try to return the favor of Jensen's uprising. Returning them to their own lands is the most efficient way to do that.

If only Jared had more mages to work with him.

He sighs and strides towards the nearest hallway, drawing on his fading strength and promising himself he only has to last another hour or two. Just long enough to make sure Jensen will be safe within the walls of the castle. Perhaps in the coming days, he will indeed find more mages who managed to escape the Iron Lord's grasp. In the meantime, he has only himself to rely on, for as long as his strength lasts, and he will still do anything he can for his prince.

As soon as he gets some sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

A few days pass, and Jared's still exhausted, but this time in a good way. Mopping up the castle was easier than expected, and once the bells had rung out over the city, the Skalnye who'd been waiting for a signal made their move. There had been plenty of fighting within the city, but Jensen's people had been more than ready for it. So too had many of the residents of Golina, who seemed more than thrilled to have the opportunity to take back their city. Hundreds of the Iron Guard were already being marched back to Ferrendia, although many were also detained in the dungeons below.

Jared feels stronger than he has in years, and never more so than when he's in the throne room, with the Sceptre glowing warm and bright. One of the first things he's going to do is head to the university and see if he can find the training materials he and his class were using before the invasion. There's so much he doesn't remember, or never fully learned, and he'd forgotten how much using magic drains him. He's probably using it more than he has to, but the sheer thrill of having access to it again means he's using it at every opportunity.

It's mid-morning, and Jared is talking to Matt and Jensen in the throne room when a small group of people enter the main door, hoods pulled up. They're looking around cautiously, and when the gaze of the petite woman in front lights on the Sceptre, she points at it and exclaims to the man beside her. In the process, her hood falls back, revealing dark hair and a wide grin.

Jared's heart leaps. "Genevieve!"

She looks quickly at him, disbelief flashing across her face. "Jared?"

"Yeah." He holds his arms out, his own smile spreading wide. "It's me."

In an instant, she's racing across the floor of the throne room, practically leaping into Jared's arms. He lifts her up and whirls her around once before setting her down. "I can't believe you're here," Jared says.

"I can't believe _you're_ here. Have you been here the whole time?" She breaks off as she realizes who's standing next to Jared, moving away from him and dropping into a deep bow. "Your Majesty!" 

There's a rustle from behind her as the rest of the people with her do the same. When she rises, Jensen's regarding her with a blank expression. "And who are you?"

"Genevieve Cortese, m'lord."

"And you know Jared how?"

"We were in the same training class at the university," she says. 

Jensen's expression grows sharper. "So you're a mage?"

"Not—not officially. We only got halfway through our training before the invasion."

"But you felt the Stone, didn't you? That's why you're here." Jared looks past her to the cluster of people watching their conversation. "Are they all mages?"

"As much as we are," she replies.

"Six of you?" Jensen asks. "All trained to the same level?"

"Six of us here," she replies. "Some better trained, some less. We were only a couple days' journey away; I wouldn't be surprised if there were more on the way from other directions."

"Where are you coming from?" Jensen asks.

"From Warmia. We've been living there for the past few years, scattered but still keeping in touch with each other. When we all felt it a few days ago, we knew we had to come." She grins at Jared. "I was hoping we would find other people we know here."

"Well, you are very welcome here," Jensen says. "Jared has been my lead on matters of magic, but I am sure he will be glad to have others to work with."

"Of course I will." He steps forward and engulfs Genevieve in another hug. "Especially you, Gen."

Jensen gives a small, polite smile. "Then I will leave you to make arrangements."

He turns away, leaving Jared looking after him and feeling like he's done something wrong.

When he looks back at Genevieve, she has a sly grin on her face. In a low voice, she says, "You're going to have to tell me how you know the prince."

"It's a long story," he replies. "Only if you tell me where you've been all this time."

"Of course." Her playful expression drops away. "Jared, you know it wasn't safe to be in Golina. Especially not once the disappearances started happening."

"I thought you were one of them," he admits. "I hadn't heard from you in weeks, and then I started realizing I hadn't heard from a lot of people. So I left home and went into hiding for a while, and when I started to move around on the streets again, no one knew where you were."

"I figured it was safer to just leave. I tried to find you before we left the city, but there wasn't time. I didn't know where I was going anyway, but my family and I met up with a few other people, and we decided to keep going until it felt right." 

"I'm so glad you've been safe," he says. "That's what matters."

She gestures with a hand, and a tall blonde woman comes forward. "Jared, this is Adrianne."

"Pleasure to meet you," he says, automatically shaking her hand.

"Likewise," she replies. "Gen has told me so much about you."

He raises an eyebrow. "I'm afraid I can't say the same."

"We met after the invasion," Genevieve says. "Adrianne had been training at a university in Torun. They were visiting Golina when the invasion happened, and they were stuck. When my family decided to flee the city, we took Adrianne with us." She slipped her hand into Adrianne's. "She's been with me ever since." 

It takes a moment for her meaning to sink in, but then Jared is grinning at Genevieve. "That's great. I'm so happy for you, Gen." He turns to Adrianne and puts an expression of mock sorrow on his face. "I'm afraid I can't say the same for you. I know Gen far too well."

"Shut up," Genevieve says with a shove at Jared's shoulder.

To his relief, Adrianne only laughs and tugs Genevieve closer to her side. 

Her laugh seems to catch Jensen's attention, for he looks over from where he's talking to Rob, the man in charge of the granaries. Jensen's gaze drops down to where Genevieve and Adrianne's hands are linked, and it might be Jared's imagination, but his shoulders seem to relax.

When he looks back, Genevieve has that smirk on her face again. "After I introduce you to everyone else, and we start plotting how to set up the Mages' Council again, you have _got_ to tell me about him."

"There's nothing to tell," Jared says with an overly polite smile. "He's the prince and I'm his Chief Mage. At least, until we find someone with more power than me."

"We're all about the same," Adrianne says, waving a hand at the group behind them. "But like Gen said, there are bound to be more people trickling in over the next few weeks. Maybe not enough to establish a Council, but at least enough to start setting things to rights."

"I'm so glad you're going to be here for that," Jared says to Genevieve. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"I'm glad, too." She pats his chest. "Now, let me introduce you to everyone else, and then let's find somewhere to talk."

Talking turns into mutual demonstrations of the limits of their respective magics. Jared is impressed to find that Adrianne has somewhat of a command of battle magic; apparently the region she is from is close to Ferrandia, and so they were not only the first to fall in the invasion, but had faced a threat for generations. 

On the other hand, the curly-haired man who's not much taller than Genevieve, who introduced himself as Gabe, knows very little practical magic of any kind. He was in training to be a magical scribe, so his spellwork is limited to things like copying and researching. But he's a font of knowledge regarding how the Mages' Council was set up, what the training regimens of the various universities were, and how many students each of them had. It's daunting to think of how much work it will be to set all of this up again, but it's also good to have the knowledge of how to do it. More than that, it will be a good starting point for finding more surviving mages if they can trace back where all of those students were during the invasion. Maybe some of their instructors escaped as well.

Because it's not like Jared really wants to be Chief Mage. He said he would serve Jensen any way he could, but there really should be someone more experienced than him at the head. Hopefully, they'll find someone who actually finished their mage training to lead the way in restoring the country's magic and in advising the king. But until then, he's happy to try and organize the people they do have.

By the end of the day, they have a chart drawn up listing what each of the seven of them are confident they can do, what they can sort of do, and what they are not trained in at all. It's not a lot, but they can hopefully add to it as more people come in. Jared's more than pleased with the day's work, and he takes the scroll with the chart to present it to Jensen.

When he finally finds Jensen, he's on a small balcony at the rear of the castle, overlooking the river. There's a single man standing guard, but he recognizes Jared and steps inside to let them talk. 

Jared keeps the scroll wrapped up in his hand as he comes forward. "How are you, Jensen?"

"Tired." Jensen scrubs one hand through his hair, giving him a weak smile. "There's so much to do, and that's just with rooting out the last of the Ferrandians. You're already working on putting the kingdom back together, and I can't even think about that yet."

"One thing at a time." Jared briefly puts a hand on his shoulder before holding up the scroll. "We have a start here. It's a list of our magical capabilities, and we should be able to add to it as more people come in."

"That's great." Jensen turns towards him. "I hope you don't think I was being abrupt with you this morning, when your friends arrived."

"You have so much on your mind, Jensen." Jared shakes his head. "I don't fault you for it at all."

Jensen starts to say something else and then shakes his head. "Where are you sleeping?" he asks.

Jared is surprised by the question. "There's a whole wing full of bedrooms that look like they haven't been used in years. I just collapsed on one of the beds the first night, and the cloud of dust that flew up had me sneezing my head off."

Jensen gives him a smile that's almost wistful. "Don't you know a spell for that?"

"I managed to clean things enough to sleep, and then last night I went through some more efforts in that regard." He wrinkles up his nose. "I'm not entirely sure which room it is, anyway. There's a whole hallway full of them."

"I doubt the Iron Lord had much need for rooms for visitors," Jensen replies. "Not like before the invasion, when we would host visiting delegations from other kingdoms. There might have been three hundred people at a time arriving for a treaty negotiation or a celebration of some sort. But he wasn't interested in either of those, I would imagine."

"What about you?" Jared asks. "Did you find your old rooms?"

Jensen's face falls, and he turns away. "I'm probably in the same wing that you are. I don't want to see what the royal apartments look like right now." 

"Of course. I can understand that." Jared's hand hovers over Jensen's shoulder again before he pulls it back. "I hope you at least have some guards, though."

"Danneel and Matt insisted on it. I think they're taking turns themselves until they find other people they can absolutely trust. They're so used to being the only ones near me, it's going to be hard for them to realize I have to be available for everyone."

"But you also need to protect yourself," Jared says. "I know the Skalnye have been doing a good job of clearing out the castle, but there have to be people who want to overthrow you. As long as the Iron Lord is alive in the castle, there will be people loyal to him."

"You're suggesting we execute him now?" Jensen asks mildly.

"No!" Jared stares at him. "Just that you take the precautions you need to. You're the king, Jensen, or at least you will be soon. You're the most important person in the kingdom." 

"You're pretty damn important, too." Jensen briefly touches Jared's arm. "Maybe you should have some protection as well, Chief Mage."

Jared shakes his head. "Like you saw today, there are other people like me. And I'm sure we'll find someone more qualified than me to take up that position before long."

"Still, I don't want anything happening to you." An unreadable expression flashes across Jensen's face briefly before he says, "There's an empty room next to mine. Move there, and the same Skalna who is guarding my room can watch yours as well."

Jared hesitates. "You should guard all of the mages. We're all valuable, and all in completely different ways."

"We can do that. But I want to make sure my Chief Mage is safe."

There's no reason not to say yes. He can sleep in one long-empty room as easily as another, and until Adrianne can teach them all some basic defensive magic, it makes sense to have a guard outside. And it's only practical to share that guard's duties with Jensen to make things easier.

Biting his lip, Jared says, "All right. Just show me where you are, and I'll move next door."

"That's great." Jensen smiles at him warmly.

Jared is helpless to keep from smiling back, even as the sinking feeling in his stomach warns him that he's going to regret this. How can he remember that he's supposed to only have a formal relationship with Jensen if he still feels this way about him?

 

A few more days pass, and suddenly it's been a week since the Stone was restored and Jared and the kingdom were both freed. The city is essentially secure, although there are a few stubborn members of the Iron Guard holed up in their barracks and insisting they're going to take back the city. Jensen hasn't pressed the matter yet; he's even allowed food and water to be brought to them. Some of his advisors—Jared included—think he's nuts to do so, but it does make a certain amount of sense. Hungry and thirsty men would be more desperate and take more risks. This way, they're more likely to surrender peacefully.

As much as Danneel and Jared both push him, Jensen won't talk about holding a coronation ceremony. He insists that it's too soon, even though they insist in turn that their people would be greatly heartened by knowing that their king was back on the throne. But Jensen cuts off the conversation every time, and they finally take the hint. 

One morning, Jared and Gabe are in the library discussing the make-up of the Mages' Council, trying to determine the minimum number of people they'll need and where they should come from, when Genevieve bursts in. "Jared! Guess who's here?"

Jared looks up. "Who?"

"Alex Calvert!" She grins at him. "Maybe you won't have to be Chief Mage after all." 

They follow her to an antechamber off the throne room, where a young man with sandy brown hair is waiting. When he sees them, he breaks out into a sunny smile and comes forward. "Jared. Gabe. It's so good to see you both. Mother be praised."

"You too, Alex." Jared comes forward to shake his hand. "It's really good to see you, actually." 

"Where have you been?" Gabe asks. 

"Mostly here in Golina," Alex replies. "In hiding, of course."

"He's stayed in hiding all week, even after the Sceptre was restored," Genevieve says. "Just in case."

"Old habits die hard, I guess," Alex replies.

"That's amazing," Jared says. "I've been here this whole time, too, but I thought I was the only one."

A shadow passes over Alex's face. "I thought so, too. At least, for the last few years, I didn't know there was anyone left."

"Well, we made it. Jensen will be thrilled to meet you, I'm sure."

"Prince Jensen." Alex's face brightens again. "Is he here? In the palace?"

"He's around here somewhere," Jared says. 

"I'd really like to meet him. He's been such an inspiration to me all this time, managing to stay hidden and safe. He must have some amazing stories to tell."

"I'm sure he does." Jared gives him a quick smile. "Come on, we were just talking about how to restore the Mages' Council. I'd love to hear your opinions."

They've been talking for about another hour when Jensen pokes his head into the library. "I hear there's someone I should meet?"

"Your Majesty!" Alex shoots to his feet, almost knocking over his chair as he goes into a deep bow. "My name is Alex Calvert. It's such an honor to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well," Jensen replies. "Genevieve tells me that you were the most accomplished young mage at your university."

"I don't know about that," Alex says, a hand to his heart.

"No, he was definitely the best," Jared says. "Better than those of us who were two or three years older than him."

"Well, we are glad to have you," Jensen replies. "Perhaps tomorrow you and the rest of the mages could report on your progress with the Council?"

"We might have found a new leader for it," Jared says, jerking a thumb in Alex's direction.

The shadow of a frown passes across Jensen's face. "You'll have to keep me informed," he says. "Now, if you would excuse me."

Jared doesn't see him for the rest of the day, not until it's time for bed. He's headed to the room he's claimed as his own, right next to Jensen's. To his surprise, Jensen is waiting outside his door, talking with the young woman who's been guarding them both. 

"Is everything all right?" Jared asks.

"Fine." Jensen smiles. "Just wanted to talk to you, if you have a minute?"

"Of course." Jared opens his door and gestures inside. When Jensen walks in, he follows and shuts the door behind him. "What's the matter?"

"You know Alex very well, it sounds like."

"Well enough to know he's a far better mage than me. I mean, we all need a little practice and retraining, but he's always been the best of us."

"That doesn't mean he'd make the best Chief Mage," Jensen replies. "It's not just about having the greatest skill. It's about being the best leader, the best able to connect between those in power and those with power."

"I don't think there'd be any problem with that. I know that he's young, but everyone liked him at the university. Even now, he wants to know all about where everyone's been and what they've gone through. It's like he feels bad for not being able to keep track of all of us or something."

Jensen sighs. "I'm not sure you see my point, Jared. I don't know him. I don't know his abilities, I don't know what he thinks of non-magical people, I don't know what kind of advice he gives."

"None of those things matter, Jensen. I mean, you don't know everything that I can do, now that I have my magic back. And you don't know what I think of non-magical people, for that matter."

"The same that you think of magical people, because you're a good person. But not all mages are like that, are they?"

Jared frowns. "You think Alex is prejudiced?"

"No! That is, I have no way to know one way or the other. But I know you. If I had to choose today, I would ask you to be my Chief Mage."

"I'm not sure that would be the best choice."

"Why not? I trust you. I know that you care deeply about magic, and about this kingdom. I know that you've been worried sick about your fellow mages, and you're thrilled to see how many of them survived."

"You think Alex isn't as happy to see all of us as we are to see him?"

"It's not that." Jensen rubs a hand over his jaw. "I ran into him later this afternoon, and he was more interested in hearing about where I'd been in hiding than anything else."

"He wants to hear our stories," Jared replies. "Is that so bad?"

"I don't know. It's just—something strikes me as odd about him."

"Maybe you're the one who's prejudiced," Jared says lightly. 

Jensen gives him a look as if to say he's being ridiculous. Aloud, he says, "I trust you, Jared. And I trust your judgment. But everyone here has been through a lot. They might not be the same people you knew before."

"I know what we've all been through, Jensen," Jared snaps. Then he stops himself with a frustrated sigh. "And I know that you have a lot on your mind right now. I'm honored that you trust me. Really, I am. I'll try to keep that in mind as I work with more people."

"See, you'll be a good Chief Mage," Jensen says with a light push to his shoulder.

"Not if I can find someone else to do it."

Jensen's crinkle-eyed smile tells Jared that he's not going to be let off the hook that easily.

 

It's the middle of the next day when Danneel finds Jared in the library and whispers in his ear. He excuses himself from the conversation with Gabe and Genevieve and follows her down the hall. "What's going on?"

"Jensen wanted to tell you himself." Danneel leads him just short of the entrance to the throne room, making a sharp right turn and then a left. Halfway down this second, narrower hallway, she stops in front of a small door. "Here."

Jared knocks on the door. A moment later, Jensen opens it and gestures him inside. When he nods at Danneel, she turns around and goes back the way she came. "What did you need?" Jared asks.

"To get your opinion about something," Jensen says. "It'll just be a minute."

"All right." Jared walks in, looking around. It's a small room, with a side door that must lead to the front of the throne room, if his internal map is right. The shelves built into the walls are empty and thick with dust. There are two plain chairs against one wall, also both dusty. "What is this place?"

"It was a waiting area for those going to see the king. Or a quiet place for a conversation."

"A conversation about what?"

Before Jensen can answer, there's a knock on the door. "Come in," he calls.

The door opens. "You wanted to see me?" Alex asks brightly. Behind him, Danneel is standing across the hallway in the alert position Jared recognizes as standing guard.

"Come in and shut the door, please." Jensen waits until the door is closed and it's just the three of them in the small room. He folds his arms over his chest and begins without preamble, "You were down in the dungeons today."

Blinking, Alex says, "I was, yes. I was unaware that they were off limits."

"At least the part you tried to go to." Jensen pauses and then asks, "Why did you ask to see the Iron Lord?"

Jared draws in a quick, shocked breath. "Alex?"

Alex's fingers twitch at his sides. "You weren't supposed to know that."

"What does that mean?" Jensen asks sharply.

"It means—" Alex pauses as if gathering his thoughts. "It means that I didn't know it was impossible to visit him. I apologize for not asking ahead of time." 

"Why did you want to see him?"

"After all he did to us? To this kingdom? Who wouldn't want to see him in a cell?"

"Unless there was something else to it." Jensen steps forward, narrowing his eyes. "For example, what if you'd been the Iron Lord's captive mage?"

Jared scoffs. "That's ridiculous, Jensen. He was hiding in the city just like I was."

There's an odd expression on Alex's face. "That's a strange thing to say, Your Majesty. Wouldn't I have come forward right away if I had been his captive? Thanked you for freeing me and my magic?"

"Perhaps," Jensen replies. "Or perhaps you really did want to make sure it was safe and that your captor was gone."

"Yes, that's it." Alex bows his head. "Being held for so many years like that, forced to do his work…you can imagine how shameful that would be."

_You don't seem very ashamed_ , Jared thinks, the back of his neck suddenly prickling. 

"So I suppose I can understand why you'd want to see him in chains," Jensen goes on. "To make sure that he truly is no longer a threat."

"I'm sure you would enjoy seeing him that way as well," Alex smoothly replies.

"Which doesn't explain why you tried to erase my guards' memories that you were ever there."

There's a beat of silence. Then Jared blurts, "What?"

"Why would I do such a thing?" Alex spreads his hands wide. "I asked to see the Iron Lord. They refused because I could not demonstrate that I had your permission. I left." 

"Do not lie to me." Jensen takes a step closer. "You tried to make them forget you were there. It almost worked, except that I've put a mage on guard duty. They recognized the spell and were able to block it. Then they reported to me." 

Jared stares at Alex in shock. "What were you thinking, Alex? You can't go around erasing people's memories!"

Alex sighs, head bowed. "I didn't know you'd wasted some of your magic skills on something so mundane as guard duty."

"I'm not sure it was a waste," Jensen replies tightly.

Alex goes on as if he hadn't spoken. "But I really wish you hadn't done that."

Before either of them can react, Alex flings out both arms, palms up. Jared and Jensen each go flying backwards, slammed up against adjacent walls. 

Jared grunts as his head contacts the wall, and Jensen's grimacing as well. "What the hell, Alex?" Jared calls out. He's never seen this spell before, has no idea how to counter it. He's spread-eagled against the wall, unable to move his hands like he would need to in order to make any kind of counter-attack.

"You weren't supposed to know," Alex says. His voice is perfectly level, like this is taking no effort at all, even though Jared's struggling against his hold with everything he has. "They were supposed to let me in to see him. Then I could have taken back the castle along with the Guardsmen you've so foolishly let live."

"What are you talking about, Alex?" Jared stares at him. "You can't possibly—"

"You're no better than he was." Jensen's voice is strained but determined. "But then, I suppose that's not surprising if you were working with him all along."

Alex's mouth twists. "I was never 'working with him.' He had my family captive from the beginning. I had to do as he said."

Jared stares at him in horror. "That doesn't explain why you were trying to let him out!" 

"I wasn't trying to let him out." Alex looks at him as though he was being especially slow to understand a point in class. "I was going to kill him."

"So what are you doing to us?" Jensen demands. 

Alex's face falls. "I'm really sorry, Prince Jensen. I almost wish that you hadn't survived, because this is going to be really difficult for me. But I suppose you had to survive this long in order for the Stone to be restored to the Sceptre. So thank you for that."

Jared struggles harder against the grip on him, but he can't move. "Alex, whatever you're talking about, just stop it. We have our magic back. That's enough."

"That's not enough, Jared. That will never be enough. You don't understand the utter contempt the Iron Lord had for us. He thought we were something other than human. And there were plenty of people willing to go along with him and turn in mages wherever they could find them. We can't let them rule over us, Jared. Not anymore."

"But you helped!" Jared explained. "You helped him to find us so he could _kill_ us. Your fellow mages!"

"He always gave them a choice," Alex retorts. "If they were willing to work with me, they would be spared."

"Some choice," Jared scoffs.

Alex's eyes go dark. "They could have practiced with me. I mean, I couldn't actually do magic, but I kept training when _he_ didn't know. I practiced the words and the gestures. I learned from the books that he confiscated and saved so many of them from being burned. And now?" A smile spreads across his face. "It was so good to feel all that power come flowing back. I can't wait to use it from the throne."

"Fuck you," Jared snarls. He's managed to make a fist with his right hand, but he's not sure how he's going to be able to speak the words of the spell he wants without Alex noticing. "You're not going anywhere near that throne. You're joining your master in the dungeons."

Alex slowly shakes his head. "I am sorry to hear you say that, Jared. Not surprised, but still sorry." 

He starts to close his upraised hands into fists. To his horror, Jared feels his throat start to tighten, like there's a hand closing around it. He looks frantically at Jensen and sees his face turning red, mouth open as though he's gasping for air. 

_No!_ Jared silently shouts. He can't get a word out through his slowly closing throat, even if he knew any battle magic that could help him here. Danneel is on the other side of the door, just across this narrow room, but if Jared's helpless against Alex's magic, it's not clear what she could do. And he has a feeling that Alex could brush aside any of the small spells that he had used to help take down the Iron Guard last week. 

Jensen lets out a strangled sound, trying to lift his head away from the wall. His chest is rising and falling, but there's clearly no air coming in to his throat. He looks helplessly at Jared, and the plea in his eyes is enough to break Jared's heart. If there was anything Jared could do, he'd already be doing it.

Jared's sight is growing dim around the edges, lungs aching for air. When Jensen's eyes flutter closed, Jared tries to shout his name, but all that comes out is a croak. 

He closes his eyes. There's nothing more he can do, but he refuses to give up. _Help me!_ Jared silently cries out. He doesn't know who he's calling to, who might even be able to help them, but he shouts it inside his head. _Help me!_

Nothing changes, nothing except that when Jared opens his eyes, his vision has gone dimmer. Jensen is slumped against the wall like Alex's power is the only thing that's keeping him from collapsing to the ground. Jared tries one more time to draw in a breath, silently shouting for help for what might be the last time.

He feels a pulse or a throb from somewhere behind him. It feels like the wave that passed through the castle when the Stone was restored to the Sceptre. He sees Alex blink in confusion, and then the grip on Jared's throat tightens even more. 

Jared shuts his eyes and searches for that pulse of power, trying to draw it into himself. He has no idea what he's doing, or if it can even help, but it's the only chance that he has left to save Jensen.

It hits him like a lightning bolt, jolting him hard enough that he falls away from the wall. Jared stumbles upright and realizes that he's free from Alex's grip. He instantly starts to form the words of the shield spell, holding up his hands. 

Then Jared suddenly realizes that the shield is already there, shimmering in front of him, more clearly visible than any time he's ever tried to raise one.

It only takes a step to shift sideways so the shield is blocking both him and Jensen, cutting off the flow of Alex's power. He glances over his shoulder to see Jensen heave in a breath and stumble forward, catching himself with a hand on Jared's back. Jared reaches out to grab his hand, and before he can even speak the healing spell, he feels power flowing through him and into Jensen. 

Jensen coughs a few times, squeezing Jared's hand, and Jared turns his attention back to Alex. The mage is shouting angrily, arms out and palms aimed at them both, visible streaks of yellow-orange light flaring in their direction. But Jared's shield is deflecting them, bouncing them back around the room. 

Then Jared's shield starts to glow more brightly, a soft, pearlescent light that fills the room. He can see the shape of the shield changing, curving outwards at the edges even as it grows in size. He can feel it moving, but he's not controlling it. Jensen grips his hand harder, and Jared pulls him closer, behind his back.

The shield shifts forward, away from Jared and towards Alex. It curves more as it goes, and Jared realizes it's closing around Alex. He seems to realize this, too, for he stops aiming at Jared and Jensen and tries to fire his bolts at the shield instead. It glows brighter in response, slowly but inexorably encasing him in soft white light.

Then it flares too brightly to look at, and Jared turns away, shielding Jensen as best he can. He can still feel the power flowing through him, and it's almost painful in its intensity. He's shivering on his feet, clinging to Jensen as waves of magic pulse through him. Even with his eyes closed, the bright white light is all he can see, all he can feel.

There's a loud pop, and the rush of power disappears as quickly as it came. Jared staggers back, but Jensen's firm grip on his arms keeps him upright. They look at each other for a moment, wide-eyed.

When Jared turns around, there's no one else in the room but the two of them.

The door flies open and Danneel rushes in, sword drawn. "What's going on?" she demands. "Where's Alex?"

Jensen gestures at the empty space where Alex had been. "He's…gone."

A loud knock on the other door makes them all jump. Jared opens it to see Adrianne and Genevieve, both out of breath and red-faced. "What did you do to the Cloud Stone?" Genevieve demands.

"It was on fire," Adrianne replies. "Or at least it looked like it was. We all felt it from the library, and when we got here, it was so bright we could hardly see."

Jared starts to say that he didn't do anything, when he looks over her shoulder and into the throne room. The Cloud Stone is glowing more brightly than normal where it sits in the Sceptre beside the throne. When Jared's gaze lights on it, it gives a quick pulse, and he gasps when he feels an echo of the power throbbing through him.

He gulps. "What I want to know is, what did the Cloud Stone do to _me_?"

 

With Gabe's help, they manage to piece it together. 

"The Stone and the Sceptre together represent the connection between mages and rulers," he explains. They're sitting around the largest table in the library: Jensen at the head, Jared on his right, Adrianne and Genevieve opposite, and Gabe at the foot. "Breaking that connection was not only harmful because it took away our ability to do magic; it also weakened the rightful king, and the kingdom as a whole." He looks at Jensen. "You should have noticed that you're feeling stronger since restoring the Stone."

Jensen blinks. "I thought I was feeling so much better because we'd won."

"Maybe a little of that, too," Gabe says with a smile. "But the Sceptre and Stone are the source of our power. Yours _and_ ours, Jensen. So they also serve to protect you. When Jared called on the Stone, it responded to protect you both. It identified what was threatening you and…removed it."

"I didn't even realize I was doing it," Jared says. "I didn't even know it was possible." 

"It's not something that's taught to mages anymore," Gabe replies. "From what I could find in the records that are still here, many generations ago there was growing concern that the mages were becoming too strong. So they were discouraged from tapping into the Stone directly. Over time, it became more of a symbol than anything else. At least, until the other day."

"That's why we never called on it when we were invaded," Jensen says softly. "Chief Mage Morgan probably never even knew he could."

"What about the other Stones?" Genevieve asks. "This isn't the only one, right?"

"Originally there were five, one at each corner of the kingdom and one here. I'm pretty sure that two of them were destroyed by the Iron Lord's forces. If we could find the other two, it would help restore our defenses."

"We'll have to work on that," Jensen says. He casts a sideways glance at Jared. "Maybe someone who used to be a smuggler might know where to find something like that."

"I'll see if I can find anyone who fits that description," Jared grins back. 

"We did a little investigating, too," Genevieve says. "Alex's family really was held captive. Pellegrino made the instructors at the university tell him who the most skilled young mages were, and he started with Alex. He refused to cooperate at first, and Pellegrino killed his parents right in front of him."

"By the Mother." Jared puts his hand to his mouth.

"He had a younger sister and brother who were kept as hostages all this time," Genevieve goes on. "Neither of them are mages, even in training, so they were only held captive to ensure his behavior."

"Where are they?" Jensen asks.

"They were being kept in the dungeons," Genevieve replies. "They hadn't seen Alex since before the restoration, so they didn't know what he was planning."

"They have family in Warmia," Adrianne adds. "They were hoping to be able to go there, if Your Majesty allows it."

"Of course," Jensen says. "I'd like to see them at some point and convey my condolences for their brother."

"He almost killed us," Jared mutters.

"He wasn't the person you knew before," Jensen replies. "He made the wrong choices, yes, but he was driven to it by the situation he was in."

Jared shakes his head. "That doesn't explain why he thought taking the throne himself was right thing to do."

"He'd been alone for years, Jared. We all need other people around us who we can trust to tell us to do the right thing. I'm sorry that Alex didn't have that."

Jared looks up to catch Jensen's eye, and the meaningful smile Jensen gives him makes him feel warm inside. "I'm glad you do," he says quietly, and Jensen's smile grows.

 

Later that evening, Jared finds Jensen on the same balcony as he did a few days ago, looking down at the river. The water seems clearer than before, and there are small plants sprouting along the banks that weren't there last week. Maybe restoring the kingdom really is about more than who is sitting on the throne.

"Are you all right?" Jared asks. 

Jensen has his hands on the stone railing, leaning forward, shoulders slumped. "Fine," he says. "The Sceptre might be making me stronger, but I still need more sleep than I've been getting."

Jared lightly rubs his upper back. "You should come inside and get some rest."

"In a minute." He straightens up and turns to Jared. "How about you? Are you doing okay?"

"Fine," Jared replies. "My throat's still a little sore, but that should be gone soon."

Jensen frowns. "Can't you just…you know. Heal it? Like you did for me?"

"At first, I kind of forgot I could," Jared admits sheepishly. "Then I thought…I don't know, it was like I wanted the reminder. I mean, we don't know if this is really over. Are there more people we're going to discover who were really on the Iron Lord's side all along? Who still are?"

"Probably," Jensen replies mildly. "Or people who changed their allegiances along the way. We never found out how the Iron Guard knew where we were hiding, after all. It might be that it was someone who five years ago never could have imagined doing such a thing."

"But Alex was part of it all along, willingly or not! If it wasn't for him, the Iron Lord might never have finished his conquest. And even if he saved some of the records and books, so many people were lost along the way, and that was his doing."

"But if it wasn't for you, we never would have regained the kingdom. And kept it." Jensen steps closer. "I can't say how grateful I am for that."

"Just protecting my prince," Jared says with a small smile.

"Your prince." Jensen pauses, and then, to Jared's surprise, he takes both of Jared's hands in his. "I have some things I need to say to you, Jared. If it's okay with you."

Jared swallows hard and squeezes Jensen's hands. "I'm listening."

"First of all, I think you're right. I've been avoiding thinking about a coronation because I don't want to deal with everything that it implies." His voice grows quieter. "Mostly, it means admitting that my parents are well and truly gone."

"Oh, Jensen." Jared tugs him closer, letting go of his hands to put his arms around him. "I'm so sorry."

"I never really got to deal with it, you know?" Jensen's cheek is resting on Jared's shoulder, his breath tickling Jared's neck. "It was a nightmare, hearing the rumors of what had happened to them, and when they were confirmed…we took off into the mountains and didn't come out for months. And then it was a matter of survival. I had to think about myself, and the kingdom, and how to get rid of _him_. And it wasn't until I came back here, where I last saw them, that it really hit me."

"They would be so proud of you." Jared holds him more tightly. "Whether or not you're officially our king, you _are_ our leader. You've shown that every day I've known you."

When he pulls back, Jensen's smile is surprisingly tentative. "You truly think so?"

"Of course I do! I'd follow you anywhere, Jensen, and not just because I—" Jared cuts himself off before he can embarrass himself any further, dropping his hands to his sides. He silently curses at himself for being unable to keep his feelings to himself when he knows Jensen doesn't reciprocate them. 

Jensen takes his hands again, and Jared almost pulls away. But he catches a glimpse of something on Jensen's face that almost looks like nerves. Jensen didn't look nervous at any time they were up in the attic; he didn't even look worried when he was dueling with the Iron Lord. 

But when he lifts his eyes to Jared's, he definitely looks nervous.

"When I told you here, right after the battle, that we could only work together and nothing more—I was thinking about the enormity of the task before me, restoring the kingdom." Jensen draws a deep breath. "I was thinking that it would be too difficult to also try and figure out my—my feelings for you, that it would be easier to set them aside." 

Jared wants to say something, but his throat seems to have closed up with nerves of his own. He only nods and gives Jensen an encouraging smile.

Jensen goes on, "And also, when I—when you were taken—no, when I let you do the monumentally stupid thing you did and let yourself be captured." He looks at Jared sternly before going on, "I told myself that meant you had judged that it was more important that I be the prince than that I be with you, and so I had to honor that choice." 

"But you don't think that now?" Jared asks.

"I was forgetting that the task, however enormous, is not mine alone. That I have people I trust to help me. And that some of that help is not just in terms of their skills—though I do appreciate you saving me—but in terms of their support. You might have only been in hiding with me for a short time, but you helped me so much to keep my chin up and move forward." Jensen hesitates for a moment and then goes on, "I even tried meditating yesterday when I couldn't fall asleep."

Jared grins. "Did it work?"

"Not in the slightest." Jensen lets go of one hand to brush a hand over Jared's cheek. "But I thought about you instead. How much I missed hearing you breathe beside me. And when I imagined that, I fell asleep."

"Jensen." Jared's heart does a strange flip, and he steps closer, bringing up the hand of Jensen's that he's still holding so that he can press a kiss to the knuckles. "I miss that, too. And you know that you have my support in whatever way you want it."

"How do _you_ want it, Jared?" Jensen looks up at him, eyes almost luminous in the dim light.

"I know this is complicated," Jared says after taking a moment to choose his words. "And I know whatever we decide to do between us, whatever we decide to be, it will not be your highest priority." Before Jensen can interrupt, he holds up his hand. "Nor should it be. The kingdom has to come first, especially now."

"And that means you and Danneel are right," Jensen says. "We should have a coronation ceremony in the not too distant future. It doesn't have to be elaborate—in fact, I would prefer it wasn't. But I can understand why it would be the best thing for the kingdom."

"And for the king," Jared says quickly. He waits until Jensen's mock glare fades away before saying, "But once there's time, yes, Jensen, I would like to be with you. Whatever that might mean."

"I think we have some time right now." Jensen leans forward, slowly, until his lips are barely brushing against Jared's.

Jared instantly deepens the kiss. Their arms come around each other, slow and gentle like their very first kiss. Jared breathes in Jensen's warm scent, and he instantly feels himself go calm.

Whatever comes next, whatever struggle it takes to fully restore their kingdom and their magic, it will be far easier with the two of them at each other's sides.


End file.
